The End of the Road
by Simply Rexene
Summary: When Roxas Michaels inherits a farm from his grandfather in a rural little backwater community, his life takes a sudden turn in a whole new direction. But Destiny Township has something that New York City never had; Axel Flynn, a would-be-rival farmer that can't seem to stop himself from crossing paths with Roxas every chance he gets. Prepare yourself for romance, humor and drama.
1. One

**A/N:** Hello and welcome back! I know I have a lot of unfinished stories, and I promise that I will get back to them, but I really needed something totally and completely different to keep me writing at all.

So here you have it; I wrote a Kingdom Hearts story based on the many wonderful plots of Harvest Moon! No, it's not technically a crossover. I'm using my own town and shops and of course the wonderful characters of Kingdom Hearts. But to anybody who has every played Harvest Moon, the similarities are going to be quite apparent.

I even took the time to really think through where everybody would fit in, so don't hate on me too much! I put a lot of time and thought into this one, guys. And it's your favorite pairing too!

Without further ado, here's _The End of the Road._

...

 **One**

...

"Yo, Roxas! You ready to go see the town yet?"

I nearly dropped the plate I was putting in the cupboard when my neighbor and only friend so far just marched into my house unannounced. It would take awhile to get used to that; in New York we had three deadbolts and two chains on our door. "I'm in the kitchen!" I called, setting the plate up on it's shelf and closing the cupboard.

"You're unpacking now? I thought we were going to go explore!" Hayner leaned against the door frame, watching me wind around the open boxes in the kitchen.

"I just wanted to get a jump start on it. I had to unpack the food my mom brought anyways, so I just kind of kept going."

He snorted, "C'mon, everyone is dying to meet you. I think the triplets might physically explode if you stay holed up in here any longer."

"Triplets...?"

"You need to see it to believe it, Rox," he smiled, nearly dragging me out the front door into the blinding sunlight of high noon.

It had been about six hours since I officially moved into my new house in Destiny Township, a small backwater community with almost no connection at all to the outside world. So far I've met my cousin Ventus, who owns a Cafe in the Town Square and my neighbor Hayner, who runs the farm next door.

Right, did I mention that I was going to be running my own farm here? When my grandfather passed away last year, he left me his entire farm in his will with the stipulation that if I accepted the land, I had to move to the town and run the farm; I couldn't sell it. After dropping out of college when I was twenty, my life really wasn't going anywhere so I decided to do it. I left New York and moved out here to take over Twilight Farm.

"Hayner, wait up!" I called, struggling to catch up with him. He moved quickly, with a purpose. I'd always just meandered around the city like a loser. "So whose house is that?" I asked once I caught up to him, motioning to the farm across the path from mine.

"That's Eternity Ranch. Believe me, you never want to go over there. The guy who runs it is a total jerk. He and I are rivals, and I'm guessing that you and him will be too. He hates anyone who might serve as competition to his farm."

I raised an eyebrow, "Competition...? Don't we just sell to the local market?"

"Typically, yes. But I heard that he has some crazy deals with the neighboring city that bring him in an assload of cash," Hayner explained as we walked down the dirt path that led into Town Square.

"But how does he get the produce to them? My dad told me that nobody out here drives or anything."

He nodded, "He's actually the only one that has a vehicle. It's an old, beat to hell pickup truck that he uses to run out to the city a couple times a week. It's about an hour's drive to get there."

"So... If anybody needed anything from the city, he could get it right?"

"Technically, yeah. But everyone is terrified to ask him."

I shot him a curious look, "How scary is this guy anyways?"

"He has tattoos. On his _face_. And I heard that he moved here because his brother was murdered or something. It really fucked him up."

I turned to look over my shoulder at the large ranch, wondering if the owner was really as bad as they all thought. Living in the city I had dealt with plenty of tragedy and murder and while it could really fuck you up, it didn't mean you were a horrible person yourself. My best friend growing up had been murdered by a drug dealer when he was only twenty one years old... but if anything, I was a better person for it. It knocked my senses back into me and helped me straighten myself out.

"Okay, so I guess we'll just hit up the stores as we pass by," Hayner said as the Town Square came into view, "We'll hit up Town Hall first, say hello to the mayor."

I gulped, "The mayor...?" Back at home I didn't even know who the mayor _was_ , and now I was saying hello the the man who ran the entire town?

"Yo, Eraqus! Get your sorry ass out here and say hi to the newbie!" he hollered as we stepped inside, scaring the living shit out of me once again. Was this just his thing? Bursting into people's homes and/or places of work and screaming for them?

"Hayner, what did I tell you about-?!" an older man came thudding down the stairs, "Roxas!"

I waved to him awkwardly, "Hi, nice to meet you."

"You don't remember at all, do you? I remember your mother bringing you up here when you were just a toddler! Now what are you, twenty six, twenty seven?"

"Twenty five, actually," my face flushed a little as I was pulled into an awkward hug.

He beamed, "Same age as my daughter! You'll have to go see her down at the Cafe."

"Oh, she works with Ventus?"

"She's been helping run the place since your uncle owned it," he told me, looking rather mayorly in his suit and tie. It didn't make much sense for living in a rural farming community, but then again... not too much made sense in this place anyways.

Hayner started to look antsy, "All right, we've got the entire town to see before dinner at the cafe, so we'd better get a move on."

"Stop by any time to chat, Roxas! See you at the cafe!" Eraqus called as I was again dragged out of Town Hall and onto the dirt path.

"What did he mean, Hayner? I thought it was just you and your wife and I having dinner tonight," I lifted a brow curiously.

He shrugged, "Lots of people have dinner there. That's kind of what it's for?"

"Sure..." I mumbled, something about the whole situation seeming skeevy to me. Hayner was hiding something, and I was a little afraid to find out what.

...

 **A/N:** So I know it might feel abruptly cut off, and that's because I was writing the first chapter and it was crawling into like 5,000 words without a break. As you know if you've read my previous work, I like to keep each chapter to about 1,500 words so that I can update more frequently and keep my sanity. So I broke the first chapter up and I'm going to be posting a bunch of chapters right away! So yay! That's exciting! See you next chapter, which is coming right up!

 _Simply Rexene_


	2. Two

...

 **Two**

...

"So next door is Radiance Inn. The whole Gainsborough family lives here, but I think only Namine and Grandma Gainsborough will be here now," Hayner continued on our tour of the town, strolling down the path beside me.

I cocked my head to the side, "Wait, why does the town need an inn? Do we get that many visitors?"

"You'd be surprised. A lot of us have family outside of town that visits, but no room for them."

"Hm... All right," I laughed, following him into the inn.

The small blonde behind the counter was wearing a grin so wide I thought she might secretly have been a Cheshire cat, "Hayner! You finally got him out of his house!"

"Well I wasn't going to let him hermit his life away," Hayner chuckled, "Roxas, this is Namine. Namine, Roxas."

She stepped out from behind the counter and wrapped me a in a big hug. Apparently everyone in this town liked to hug; a lot. "So nice to meet you, Roxas!"

"Nice to meet you too," I smiled, trying to pry her off of me.

"Where's Grandma?" Hayner asked her, looking around the inn.

Namine thought for a minute, "I think she might be out gathering wildflowers. We don't exactly have any guests right now for her to fuss over."

"All right, we'll try to find her one our way around town then," he threw her a dashing smile. Hayner seemed to be pretty close with all of the townspeople. I wondered when I would get to meet his wife, Olette.

"You two run along now and go meet my sisters! They're dying to see the new hunk of man that's moved in," she winked at me, grinning mischeviously.

As we left the inn, Hayner glanced over at me, "By the way, do you have a woman in your life? 'Cause I think you left quite the impression on Namine."

"She's... not really my type," I mumbled, following him to the next shop, which had a faded sign above it that read "General Store."

"Hot blondes aren't your type?" he questioned, "I mean, I prefer brunettes myself, but you didn't seem like-"

"She just isn't my type, Hayner. Drop it," I cut him off, smiling at an older looking blond man standing behind the desk, "Hi. I'm Roxas, the new guy."

"Name's Luxord, love. I run the General Store here with my daughter. Larxene, get out here!" he hollered into the back room.

Another super-blonde woman sashayed out from the back, batting her eyelashes at me, "Who's this, Daddy?"

"His name is Roxas, he took over Twilight Farm for his grandfather," Luxord told her in a thick British accent. One that his daughter didn't seem to have.

"Luxord came over from England before she was born," Hayner whispered in my ear, probably seeing the confusion written all over my face.

I held out my hand to her, but she just held out a limp wrist to me. I didn't know what she expected me to do, so I just loosely shook her hand and continued to stare awkwardly between her and her father.

"How old are you, Roxas?" she tilted her head to the side 'cutely,' like she was trying to flirt with me or something. What was it with the blonde's here?

"I'm twenty five," I informed her, glancing to Luxord who was staring at me with intense, freaky blue eyes.

She giggled, "Ooh, an older man. You're kinda cute," she bit her lower lip, twirling a strand of hair with her finger.

"Excuse my lovely daughter, please. She's only eighteen, and she needs to go finish unloading the produce Pence dropped off earlier," he emphasized the last part with a sharp glare to her, forcing her out of the room.

Hayner nodded, "Good, I'm glad Pence remembered to drop it off this time. I don't always trust him by himself."

"Who's Pence?" I asked, watching Larxene skip out of the room. She certainly seemed... interesting.

"My partner in crime at the farm slash best friend," Hayner said, "We'll see you later, Luxord. We've still got a lot of ground to cover."

He threw me a rather handsome smile, "Stop by any time, Roxas."

"Will do," I smiled awkwardly. I hated introductions like this. "Is something up with him...?" I questioned once we were safely out of earshot.

"You've got a good eye," he chuckled, "Luxord is a little ...how should I put it? Fabulous."

I smirked a little, "You mean gay?"

"Yeah... Only one in town, so far as we know. Not everyone is too keen on it. We still haven't told Grandma Gainsborough. She definitely was raised a bit more traditionally."

I shifted on my feet as we stood in front of the next shop, "Oh... But he has a daughter?"

"Yeah, well. Let's just say there's a reason the two of them moved out here."

I nodded, "All right then..."

"Well this one you should certainly recognize. The Wayfinder Cafe," he smiled, opening the door for me.

I stepped inside and immediately came face to face with a mirror image of myself, "Ventus! Thanks so much for helping me move in earlier," I told him, pulling him into a bro-hug.

"No problem, cuz! You still coming by for dinner later?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" I grinned, my eyes following a blue-haired woman as she cleared a table, "Who's this?"

She turned to look at me, giving me a pretty wonderful smile, "I'm Aqua, the mayor's daughter."

"Right! He said you worked here. Waitress?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I leave the cooking to Ven here," she gave him a pat on the back, "You have to try his grilled cheese. To _die_ for."

I nodded, "I'll try to remember that."

"Is this the new kid?" a rather gruff voice sounded behind me. I jumped a little and turned to face a man with a rather large scar running down his left cheek to his jaw and a black eye patch over his right eye.

"I'm Roxas," I offered a hand to him, which he promptly crushed between his calloused fingers.

"Xigbar. I run Darkstar Blacksmithing just on the other side of town. This is my apprentice, Terra."

I glanced behind him to find another rough looking man poking at a bowl of soup. He just barely glanced up at me, "Hey."

"He's not too much of a people person, but damn if he doesn't drag me here every day for lunch," Xigbar leaned closer to me, "I think he's got a bit of a thing for Aqua, myself."

"Xig! Shut up!" Terra exclaimed, throwing a dinner roll at him.

Aqua just raised an eyebrow and took the empty plates she was holding into the kitchen.

"Now you come to us to get your tools made. Don't you go buying any of that cheap pre made bullshit. Our tools? They'll never break, never fail. You'll have them for life."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," I told him, turning to Hayner, "We should get going... I still have a lot of unpacking to do." Honestly, all of these introductions were making me uncomfortable.

He seemed to understand, thankfully, "All right, let's head over to the bar."

"Bar...?" I liked the sound of that.

"Yeah, Oblivion Bar and Grill. They've got all the greasy bar food you're probably used to from the city."

I nodded, "Sounds pretty awesome. I do love greasy bar food."

"Riku is a genius in the kitchen just like Ventus. You should see it when we have cooking competitions. The judges never know who to pick."

Cooking competitions? That could be fun. Not that I was a good enough cook to ever enter, but I could totally do some food judging. Maybe things here wouldn't be as boring as I first suspected.

...

 **A/N:** So like I said before, the first chapter I wrote got broken down into three. After these weird introductory chapters the flow will be much, much better. Ooh, just wait until he meets the mysterious farmer across the path!

Don't forget to review and follow please!

 _Simply Rexene_


	3. Three

...

 **Three**

...

I hopped up the steps leading into the bar with more pep in my step. I'd probably spend a lot of nights there after working the farm.

"Well, well, well... Now who do we have here?"

I glanced up to see a raven-haired woman who looked suspiciously like Namine walking towards me. "Name's Roxas, I'm the new kid in town."

"More like a new _man_ ," she quipped, her eyes scanning me up and down. There must not have been many available men in town, 'cause these women were really creeping on me.

"This Xion, one of the Gainsborough triplets. She works here as a bartender some nights," Hayner told me, "Why are you here so early? Riku doesn't even open up until five."

She rolled her eyes, "Inventory day. I hate it."

"Is he around?"

"Sure is! Riku, get your ass out here!" she called over her shoulder, shifting her weight onto one foot and planting a hand on her hip. "He's probably back there counting each individual peanut in the bag," she huffed, "Riku!"

A white-haired man came grumbling out of the back room, scowling at her, " _What_?"

"The new guy wanted to say hi. His name is Roxas," she told him, giving him a sassy look.

"Oh... Right. Sorry, man. I'm Riku," he said, holding out his hand. "Xion, you need to go recount the cases of wine we just got in. I think we're missing one."

She pouted, "But I wanna talk to Roxasss..."

"Go. Now," he scolded her, pointing to the back room, "Sorry. I hate inventory day just as much as she does. We've been coming up short on our wine lately."

Hayner scoffed, "Three guesses who's stealing it..."

"Now, we don't have any evidence that it's him," Riku said, "I know what you're thinking, but just because he's practically a hermit doesn't make him a thief."

I just looked between the two of them, "Am I missing something here?"

"Not important. I'm sure you have a lot more people to meet. I'll see you at the cafe tonight," Riku said, ushering us out the door.

"Hayner, what's going on at the cafe tonight?" I asked him again, becoming increasingly suspicious.

He chuckled, "Nothing at all, Roxas. Nothing at all."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I've got a bit of social anxiety, Hayner. Please tell me what's going on?"

"It wasn't my idea," he wasn't off to a promising start, "But Ventus is sort of throwing you a welcome party tonight."

I groaned, "I hate parties..."

"Well, that's why I'm taking you to meet everyone now. It cuts the awkward down by like half."

"Ugh... Whatever. Where to next?"

He pointed to the clinic, "The only two shops left in Town Square are the Clinic and the Library. We'll go say hi to Saix, then Zexion."

"My head hurts trying to remember all of these people..." I grumbled, following him into the tall building that made up the clinic.

"Yo, Saix! Aerith! You around?!"

I cringed as he shouted yet again, "Jeez, Hayner. Do you have any volume other than loud?"

"What is it? Who's hurt?" a small brunette woman came rushing down the stairs, looking around in a panic before her eyes settled on me, "Oh! You must be Roxas. We're so happy to have you here, dear."

"This is Aerith, mother of the triplets and best nurse in town."

"Only nurse in town," she reminded him, yanking me into a tight hug, "Ohh, you look just like your grandfather. He'll always hold a place in my heart."

I smiled, "I didn't know him very well, but thank you. It's nice to know that somebody will remember him fondly."

"Of course, darling. Ooh, let me go and fetch Saix. I think he's reading in his study."

"Saix is the doctor here. Extremely talented. Used to be a surgeon until he busted his hand in a car accident. He regained most of the function, but sadly had to give up his career because of it. After a bit of a depressive period, he decided to move out here to be closer to his brother, Marluxia."

I frowned a bit, "That's sad..."

"He's got a pretty nasty scar from the accident too, so try not to stare okay?"

I braced myself for the worst, but when the light blue-haired man came down the stairs I realized that it wasn't too bad. It looked mostly faded, but I could make out an X shaped scar right between his eyes.

"Ah, this must be Roxas. Welcome to Destiny Township," he greeted me warmly, "Have you been well received so far?"

"Everybody has been wonderful, thanks," I smiled, shaking his extended hand which did have a bit of scarring on it.

"Have you been by Marly's yet?"

"Yeah, I think we might be saving him and Kairi for last. I don't wanna send him running before he meets everyone else," Hayner laughed.

I eyed Saix, "Should I be afraid?"

"Okay, so a couple things you should know about Marluxia... One: he's _not_ gay. Two: he's _very_ effeminate. Three: he's incredibly outspoken. He has absolutely no filter."

"Got it," I nodded, chuckling a little, "Nothing I haven't dealt with in New York."

Hayner shot me a look, "You have no idea, man."

As he dragged me out the door, I was beginning to think that this would never end. "Hayner, how many more people are there for me to meet?"

"Just like... nine or ten more places?"

"Tell you what. Why don't I just meet everybody else at the welcome party tonight? Seriously, I feel like my brain is about to explode with information and all I really want to do is go unpack."

He stopped short in front of the library, "Oh... Well, I guess we could wait until then."

"Thank you, Hayner. It's just a bit too much for me right now," I told him, grateful that he understood.

"Well hey, I'm going to catch up with Pence. He's talking to the carpenters about expanding some of our fencing and I want to make sure he gets enough fence to cover the square footage we need. Can you find your way back home?"

I nodded, "Yeah, just down here right?"

"Right. See you at the cafe tonight, five sharp!"

As I walked back down the path towards my farm alone, I felt an incredible sense of relief flood over me. It was really nice of Hayner to try and help me out, but I just wasn't a social enough person to go knocking on people's doors all day.

I was about to turn down the little path leading back to my house when a flash of bright red caught my attention across the way. Stepping closer to the fence I saw an incredibly tall, incredibly toned man running full force across a large field close on the heels of a large fluffy dog looking like he was having an absolute blast.

Suddenly he slowed down and flopped down on the ground, his dog immediately sitting on him and attacking him with kisses, "You beat me this time, Charlie, but next time I'm gonna win for sure!"

It was like I couldn't pull my eyes away from him. He might have been the most handsome man I had ever seen in the entire history of the universe, even with the little triangle tattoos under his eyes. They were actually pretty alluring. They brought all of the attention right up to his incredibly green eyes.

The dog must have noticed me staring because suddenly I had about a hundred and thirty pounds of dog barrelling towards me at mach speed with it's jowels flapping in the wind and strands of drool trailing behind it like ribbons.

I didn't even have a second to react before the dog had me pinned on my back. I don't even know how it had cleared the fence like it did.

"Whoa, Charlie! Down, boy! Come here!" the tall man whistled and suddenly a thousand pounds were lifted off my chest; literally. "Sorry about that, he doesn't usually-"

I glanced up at him in a daze as he stopped talking, wondering what cut him off so abruptly, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head, gazing down at me with those intense green eyes, "Yeah, uhm... I just... Are you new here?"

"Well, yeah? Did you not see us moving boxes into the house across the street all morning?"

"You're the grandson..." he mumbled, a stern look crossing his face.

I held up my hands defensively from my position on the ground, "I didn't come here to pick a fight with you, man. I was just walking home when your dog attacked me."

"Charlie wouldn't attack anyone," he growled, running his hands over the dog's coat, "And you were obviously on my property. What were you doing, watching me?"

"I'm new here. I don't know anybody, and I saw my new neighbor running around outside like an idiot with his dog so I stopped to look for a second. Sue me, jeez..." I mumbled, picking myself up off the ground and shooting him a glare.

He eyed me carefully, "Where are you from?"

"New York City?" I told him, straightening out my black t-shirt.

"Have you ever grown crops before? Raised animals?"

I raised an eyebrow, "No...?"

"Right," he smirked, a now confident glow around him, "Do us all a favor and go home, city boy. We don't need you out here dragging down our reputation."

"Gotcha," I clicked my tongue, turning to leave. Hayner was definitely right about that guy. He might have been absolutely drop dead gorgeous, but he was an absolute jerk.

...

 **A/N:** Ooh, and the sparks fly. He didn't even introduce himself to poor Roxas before totally shutting him down. But hey, there's a glimmer of hope. How sweet was Axel with his doggie? Who, by the way, is a Saint Bernard. I have a soft spot in my heart for them (mostly 'cause I have one.) Coming up next, the party!

Don't forget to review! Love you guys!

 _Simply Rexene_


	4. Four

...

 **Four**

...

I had never seen a restaurant so booming with business than I did that night. The Wayfinder was absolutely packed full of people; everyone in town was there. All of the other businesses in town were black. Apparently one of the perks of living in such a small town was that if everyone wanted to get together, that's what everyone did. Even the bar looked closed.

"Roxas! Come on in!" Hayner found me standing outside just staring at the packed cafe in terror.

"I don't think I can move my legs," my cheeks flushed red as I realized how scared I was of this party.

He chuckled and started dragging me up the steps, pretty much forcing me through the door.

"Welcome to Destiny Township, Roxas!" a wave of voices crashed down over me as everyone held up champagne glasses in a toast to me. Hayner shoved a glass into my hand so that I could raise it with them, which I then immediately downed. I'd need a lot more than just champagne to make it through this whole ordeal.

"Thank you everyone," I mumbled, wondering exactly how bright red my face was at that moment. It felt like someone had set fire to my cheeks.

It looked like Ventus had set up a buffet along one of the walls, and that both Xion and Aqua were waitressing that night. I wondered if Riku was helping him in the kitchen, because I didn't see either of them among the crowd.

"All right, everyone. Roxas gets his food first and then everybody is welcome to dig in!" Hayner announced, shoving me towards the food bar.

It seemed like everybody's goal tonight was to make me the center of attention. I could literally feel thirty pairs of eyes burning into me as I took a little bit of everything from the buffet. It was typical comfort food; chicken, potatoes, veggies, soup. They really did go all out for me and while I appreciated it, I really just wish I could have spent my first night in town in the comfort of my home.

"Come sit with Olette and I!" Hayner pulled me in the direction of a table with a pretty brunette seated at it.

I took the empty seat and smiled at her, "Hi there, I'm Roxas."

"Olette. Lovely to meet you," she grinned, shaking my hand. "You look... absolutely terrified to be here."

"I'm not big on parties," I told her, grateful that somebody at least understood, "I mean, obviously I'm grateful that everybody is so welcoming, but-"

"But it's a little much," she smiled warmly, "I tried to tell Hayner and Ventus, but they got a little too excited that you were coming."

I chuckled, watching everyone line up to get their food, "Do they do this every time someone new moves in?"

"Honestly, it's been years since anybody did. Plus we all did love your grandfather so dearly," she added, touching my arm comfortingly.

"Whoo, I do love it when Ventus and Riku share their genius," Hayner sat down with a heaping plate of food, "Don't you wanna go get your plate, babe?"

She nodded, "I'll go get in line."

"Your wife is pretty wonderful," I told him, "I hope we can all become good friends."

"Hell yeah!" he grinned, patting me on the shoulder, "You need anything at all, you come to us."

I sighed happily, "Thanks, Hayner. I'm really glad that at least one of my neighbors is welcoming."

"Ran into Axel?"

I laughed, "More like Charlie ran into me."

"His dog? He's such a sweetheart. I kind of wonder if Charlie is secretly siphoning off all of Axel's good traits and leaving him one big sociopathic husk."

"So his name is Axel..." I let the name roll off my tongue. It did make sense, the name fit him really well. "Anyways, he basically told me to get out of town, that you guys didn't need city scum like me hanging around dragging down your reputation."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't listen to that asshole. If he wants to live a bitter, lonely life that's his choice."

"I don't get it. He's such an attractive guy, how has he not made any friendships in town?"

"He can be as gorgeous as he wants on the outside, but it's what's underneath it all that counts," he reminded me, "I think Xion had a thing for him a few years back, but he shot her down hardcore and damn near broke her heart."

I frowned, "Well damn..."

"She's over it now," he said, shrugging, "I think she's got it pretty bad for Riku myself."

"Ohh," I scanned the crowd to find her indeed staring at Riku as he filled his plate, "They'd be a cute couple. But why was she hitting on me earlier then?"

He scoffed, "Everyone in this town is emotionally stunted. Nobody wants to admit their feelings, so they just cover them all up and act like they don't exist. Like everybody knows that Terra is in love with Aqua, right? But he's a lot older than her, so he acts like there's no way it could ever happen. And then Xion, she has all of these feelings for Riku that she just represses for some unknown reason. And then there's Sora and Kairi. There's some unrequited love..."

"Sora?"

"Oh right, we never went to meet them. Sora works at Rusty Key Carpentry with his twin brother, Vanitas. They're sitting over there with Kairi and Namine. Sora has brown hair, Van has black hair," he told me, motioning behind us to them. "Kairi is the redhead, obviously."

I nodded, "Got it... I'll try to remember."

Olette sat back down next to Hayner and smiled at me, "Trying to remember everyone's names?"

"I feel like my head might explode," I chuckled, picking at my food. It was seriously delicious, but I just wasn't hungry.

"Just wait till you meet the kids," she laughed, "Grandma Gainsborough has them all corraled at the inn. We didn't want them seeing everyone drink."

"I had no idea there were any kids in town," I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Whose kids are they?"

Hayner pointed to an older guy wearing a bandana around his head, "That's Cid. He runs the carpenter's shop and he's got three kids; Selphie, Wakka and Tidus. Selph is fifteen, but Tidus and Wakka are eight and ten respectively. And that guy over there is Zack. He's Pence's uncle, and he has his own daughter, Paine. They all live together. Paine is ...nine, I think?"

"Yeah, her and the other girls are all nine," Olette continued, "Sora and Vanitas have a younger sister, Yuna, and Yuffie over there has a younger sister named Rikku that lives with her and her boyfriend Leon."

I tried to absorb what they were telling me, but it was going right over my head, "Maybe when I meet everyone it'll sink in?"

"Don't worry, it'll take some time," she assured me, "And just for a sort of heads up... There are a lot of single parents living here. I guess people kind of use this town to escape from their problems."

"I did notice that. But hey, I'm not judging anybody. I'm running away from a lot of bullshit myself," I sighed, sipping on the glass of champagne Aqua had refilled for me while I wasn't looking. She was like a ninja waitress or something.

Hayner elbowed me in the side, "With us, you have no past. All we care about now is the future you build for yourself here."

That was probably the most reassuring thing anybody had ever said to me before, "Thank you Hayner... That means a lot to me."

I nearly jumped out of my damned skin as I felt someone grab onto my shoulders from behind, "What are you doing hiding over here?! We're all ready to meet you, damn it!"

Hayner smirked, "Roxas, meet Marluxia."

I turned around, craning my neck to look up at a man with the most gorgeous pink hair I had ever seen in my entire life. He looked like he'd just stepped off of a runway or something, but not exactly in a manly way, "Uhm... hi?"

"Hey boo! C'mon, you need to meet my better half," he literally nearly picked me up out of my chair, dragging me over to the table Kairi was sitting at with Sora and Vanitas. "Roxas, this is Kairi, my main bitch," he told me, "Oh, and her friends or whatever..."

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Marly gets jealous when I hang out with Sora and Van instead of him. But hey, good to meet you!"

Sora smiled up at me, "Hey man, nice to meet ya."

I waved at him awkwardly, "Yeah, nice to meet you."

Vanitas just stared at me with these intense, golden eyes. He didn't seem too keen on saying hello or anything, so I just kind of ignored him.

"I'll take it from here, Marluxia," Hayner appeared by my side, "I guess we can move right along to Cloud and Tifa. They're Sora and Van's parents."

We went around the room until I'd been introduced to literally everybody in town, save for the kids and Grandma Gainsborough. Or so I thought.

"Wait a minute... Zexion isn't here," Hayner searched around for him, "The librarian, I mean. God, that guy is so antisocial..."

Olette walked up to us, "Did anybody notice that Demyx isn't here either?"

I wracked my brain trying to remember meeting a Demyx, but the name didn't sound familiar, "I don't think I've met him, no."

"Shit... did anybody go down to the lake and invite him?!" she exclaimed, looking horrified, "Oh God, we're terrible people!"

Hayner chuckled, "Relax, babe. I'll take Roxas down there tomorrow to meet him. Demyx lives in a house by the lake. He's a fisherman, and a damned good one at that. As for Zexion, we'll just have to drop in on him sometime too."

"Axel never showed up either," I pointed out.

"Right, because we didn't invite him on purpose," Hayner told me, shrugging, "Why would we want an asshole like him here?"

I frowned a little, "Isn't that kind of cruel? You could have at least invited him..."

"He wouldn't come anyways, so why bother?"

"Because maybe all he needs is to be included," I suggested, "But whatever... You know him better than I do, and my first experience with him was definitely not fun."

"Do yourself a favor and just stay away from him, Roxas. You'll have plenty of friends around town, I promise."

I nodded, sighing softly. I just hated the idea of pushing somebody away without really giving them much of a chance. Axel might be a decent person somewhere underneath it all, but I guess I'd really never get to find out.

...

 **A/N:** Finally a story I can update frequently again like the Internship! I'm so happy with this story so far, and I have soooo many plans for it. Let me know in the reviews if you would like me to post a little guide as to who is related, who is dating and where everyone works. I have one all made out for myself, so if anything is confusing for you guys I can definitely post it for you.

 _Simply Rexene_


	5. Five

...

 **Five**

...

"So then," Kairi had to take in a deep breath to finish her story, "Marluxia starts chasing the bunny, right? 'Cause it ate one of our most expensive flowers, which is just _so_ irritating. Then he trips over his _own_ feet and goes careening headfirst into the stream behind the shop!"

I only heard about half of her story before my mind started wandering. I stared off into space, wondering if this party would ever actually end. "Hayner, I need some fresh air. Is it cool if I step outside for a few?"

He nodded, sucked into the conversation with Kairi, "Sure, man. We'll be here."

Silently thanking God that I had an out, I pushed my chair back and quickly slipped outside before anybody had a chance to say anything. They were so absorbed in their story telling that they probably would even notice that I wasn't there.

As I walked outside I realized that my black tshirt and jeans weren't going to be warm enough for the cool spring evening, so I turned down the path to the farm to go grab a hoodie from my house. Living within walking distance of all the shops in town definitely had it's perks.

"Charlie? Charlie?!" a familiar voice rang through the darkness as I strolled down the path past Axel's house.

I ignored it, figuring that it was better if I didn't butt in.

"Charlie?!" I heard Axel shout again, but what I didn't expect was to have him slam full force into my side like a fucking locomotive.

"Shit!" I yelped, finding myself laying on my back in the dirt again, "Ow..."

But he was already on his feet again, giving not a single fuck that he'd plowed me over, "Charlie, come here boy! Where are you?!"

"Nice..." I grumbled, pulling myself up into a sitting position and feeling a shooting pain travel down my side, "Fuck!"

Finally he looked down at me as I clutched my side in pain, "Oh..."

"I think I broke a rib..." I cringed, trying to get back on my feet and failing. Every movement felt like somebody was stabbing me with a knife.

"My dog is missing," he almost seemed like he was having a panic attack or something, "I need to find him, he's never done this before."

I huffed from my position on the ground, "Oh sure, don't worry about me... I'll just lay here until Hayner comes home."

"Charlie?!" he screamed, his chest heaving as tears sprung into his eyes.

I somehow managed to get myself off the ground, trying hard not to let the blinding pain in my side bring me back down, "Axel, you need to calm down. He'll come back."

"He's never been away from my side for more than a few minutes at a time," he spun around in circles, eyes scanning the darkness.

"I need you to go get Saix for me..." I mumbled, unable to take a step forward.

Axel ignored me again, "Charlie! C'mere, boy!"

I shuffled over to the fence surrounding his property so that I could lean against it, lifting up my shirt to see if there was a bruise forming. Sure enough, it was already spotting black and blue on my right side over my ribcage. "Axel... Please focus for a second and help me..."

Suddenly he took off running down the path, but not towards town to get help. And then I was alone, unable to walk and in excruciating pain.

"Axel!" I shouted after him, furious that he chose to look for his dog instead of help me.

I stood there for maybe ten minutes before he reappeared, looking about ready to sob his eyes out, "I can't find him... I can't find Charlie. He's gone!"

"Axel, I know you're freaking out about your dog right now, but you need to help me get to the clinic and find Saix at the party."

"...Party? What party?" he snapped back to reality for a moment, finally meeting my eyes.

I wanted to punch him in the face, "Damn it, Axel, really?!"

"Right," he shook his head as if trying to clear his mind, "How do you expect me to help you?"

"You're absolutely useless. I'll just suck it up. Go find your dog," I snapped, pushing away from the fence and starting to walk unsteadily towards town.

I made it about halfway down the path before I was literally swept off my feet. I yelped in surprise, my arms automatically winding around Axel's neck as he started carrying me into town. "I'm sorry..." he said softly, but he refused to make eye contact with me.

About two steps into town we ran into Hayner, who looked like he was about to have a kitten, "What the hell happened, Roxas?!"

"It's a long story. Can you have Saix meet us at the clinic?" I asked him, wondering how Axel was still managing to carry me. I was kind of short, but I definitely weighed enough that not many people would be able to carry me around like that.

He nodded, running back into the Wayfinder as Axel kicked open the front door of the clinic and took me inside. Every time I even thought about moving a new wave of pain rushed through me.

"Fucking be careful!" I barked as he haphazardly put me down on one of the hospital cots. I squirmed around until I found a position that didn't hurt quite as bad just as Saix rushed in with Aerith, Hayner and Olette close on his heels.

"What happened?" Saix asked, throwing on his white doctor's coat and sitting down beside me.

I glared over at Axel, who had retreated to the corner of the room silently, "I was walking home to get a jacket when Axel plowed into me while looking for his dog. I think he might have broken one of my ribs with his elbow or something."

Saix lifted up my shirt, "Damn, he really got you good... What's your pain on a level of one to ten?"

"Ten, damn it!" I growled as he poked at my side.

"You definitely broke a rib, but it's nothing that requires surgery," he told me, "I'll bandage you up nice and tight and give you some pain meds, but it's all that I can do."

I sighed heavily, "This is just perfect. My first night here and Mr. Town Asshole here decides to maim me..."

"Right. If any of you find Charlie, please send him my way," Axel mumbled, turning and walking out the door.

"Don't let the door hit you on your way out," I grumbled, salty about his attitude.

Saix chuckled, "All right, it's time to get you pumped full of painkillers before you murder someone."

"Please and thank you," I nodded, ready to be done with this excruciating pain.

Aerith came over to the side of the cot with a glass of water and a couple of pills, "Take these, and I'll get you some to take home."

"Thanks," I smiled at her, throwing back the pills and taking a gulp of water.

A few minutes later Saix was binding my side with a couple rolls of ace bandage, "You'll need someone to help you rewrap it after showers."

Hayner raised his hand, "I'm just a holler away, Rox."

Olette and Hayner helped me home later that night, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and forget about everything that happened. But fate seemed to have a different plan for me, because the second I walked into my bedroom and flipped my lights on, I found a large Saint Bernard laying on my bed casually like he'd lived there all his life.

"Uhm... Charlie, right? What're you doing here, boy?" I asked awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

He barked and stood up, his tail wagging happily as he climbed down off my bed and proceeded to shove his nose in my hand. I laughed a little and pet him a few times before testing him to see if he'd follow me, "C'mon boy..." I coaxed him, walking out of my bedroom into the hallway.

Thankfully he followed right behind me as I led him out of my house and over to Axel's. He sat down on the porch wagging his tail happily as I knocked on the door loudly. "C'mon... Answer your door, you jerk."

A couple minutes later, a very disheveled looking Axel came to the door wearing only boxer shorts. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped, sneering at me.

I motioned down to Charlie, "I came home and he was laying in my bed. I wasn't sure how he got in, but then I remembered that there's a dog door on the kitchen entrance. He must have been there all evening."

"Charlie!" he cried happily, bending down to hug the fluffy beast. I had to admit, Charlie was pretty damned cute. I wouldn't mind having my own dog someday. "Why would you run away like that, buddy?"

"Goodnight..." I grumbled, wondering why I even expected an apology. I turned around gingerly, stepping down off the porch carefully and heading back across the path to my house.

I didn't get very far before a hand clamped down on my wrist and stopped me in my tracks, "Hey, wait."

"What do you want, Axel?" I turned to face him, snatching my arm away and then cringing in pain.

"I'm sorry I broke your rib. I really didn't mean to hurt you," he apologized, actually sounding genuine this time, "When Charlie went missing it was like I had blinders on. I couldn't think about anything but losing my best friend and it made me go a little nuts."

I sighed, running a hand through my sandy blond hair, "Just watch where you're going next time."

He was determined not to let me turn around and leave. As I moved again, he body blocked me, backing me up against the fence, "Thank you for bringing Charlie back. I don't know why he wanted in your house so bad."

"Look, I really need to go to bed..." I mumbled, trying to scoot away from him.

"Right... I'm sorry," he sighed, moving aside.

I hesitated for a moment, but I wasn't sure why. "I'm sorry we didn't invite you to the party," I finally said before walking down the path to get some well needed sleep.

...

 **A/N:** Aww! They're sort of connecting, kind of maybe. Still, Axel is definitely a piece of work, right?

So I made a Tumblr account to kind of keep everyone updated on where I am in stories or what's going on with me. It's under simplyrexene so be sure to check it out!

 _Simply Rexene_


	6. Six

...

 **Six**

...

Waking up the morning after I broke my rib, I really expected to be in a lot of pain but somehow I wasn't. It felt like someone had put a heating pad on my side while I slept.

"Holy mother of God!" I screeched once I realized exactly what was keeping my side warm. Apparently I'd been spooning with Charlie all night.

"Care to explain why my dog won't leave you alone?"

I jumped at the voice sounding from my doorway, looking up to see Axel standing there with his arms crossed and a pissed off look on his face. "How did you get in here?"

He smirked, "You forgot to lock the kitchen door."

"So that means you can just stroll on in? And by the way, I didn't forget to lock it. I left it open in case I needed Hayner to help me."

"I've been trying all morning to get Charlie to come home with me, but he refuses to leave your side," he told me, looking a little hurt by the fact that his dog liked me so much.

I shrugged, "It's not like I asked him to come in. I'll block the dog door off today, okay?"

He nodded, "Already taken care of. You seriously can sleep through anything."

"It's the pain meds, which I wouldn't be on if you hadn't _broken my rib_ ," I reminded him.

Suddenly he spotted my Nintendo 3DS XL laying on my desk and picked it up, "What's this?" he wondered, examining it.

"A video game?"

He just stared at me blankly.

I shifted Charlie off of me so that I could sit up and motioned for him to bring it to me, "I'll show you."

He handed me the DS and I flipped it open, powering it on. "Whoa..." he mumbled as the dual screens lit up and the homescreen came on.

"Do you guys seriously not play video games out here?" I asked him, starting up Pokemon X.

"We don't even get cable out here," he muttered, seeming fascinated by the whole system, "I mean, I see some of this stuff when I go into town, but I've never stopped to really look at it."

I laughed a little at how curious he was as I opened my save file. "So the point of this game is to collect these little critters called pokemon. You can keep six of them at a time and they battle other pokemon and trainers with you. All of them have different skill sets and moves, so it's kind of fun to try and balance out your team."

Everything seemed to be going right over his head, "What's that yellow thing?"

"That's Pikachu! He's one of the most popular pokemon in the game!"

"And... that's supposed to fight things?"

I chuckled, "He's an electric type. He has a lot of attacks involving lightening."

"So it's an electrical rat? That doesn't make sense to me..."

"Just shut up and watch," I rolled my eyes, wandering through some tall grass so I could show him a battle.

Somewhere along the line Axel sat down beside me in my bed with Charlie sandwiched inbetween us, just watching me play and asking billions of questions.

"Shit, that was so close! Those HP restores are a bitch," he kept moving closer every time the fights got more intense.

"Uhm... Axel...?" I inched away from him as he practically rested his chin on my shoulder, "How about you take over for a bit? I need to go take a shower. I think I'm still covered in dirt from last night."

He eagerly snatched the DS out of my hands and nodded, "I'm gonna try to get to the next gym."

"Right," I chuckled awkwardly, pushing Charlie off of me and getting up slowly. I hissed a little as pain shot up my side, finding my pain meds on the bedside table and dry swallowing a couple of them. "I guess I'll be back...?"

He grunted something in response as I rifled through an open suitcase to find some clothes before walking across the hall to the bathroom. I didn't really mind him being there, I guess, but didn't he have a farm to run?

When I came back across the hall freshly washed, he was so immersed in the game that he didn't even notice. "Axel, I hate to ask... but can you wrap me?"

Nothing. No response.

"Axel. Axel!" I ended up shouting, waving my ace wrap in front of his face, "Help me?"

He sighed and put the game aside, standing up and snatching it from me, "Lift up your shirt..."

"Ow... Jeez, be gentle!" I snapped as he yanked it tight around me. "So not that I wanna sound rude or anything, but don't you have to work today?"

He raised an eyebrow, "It's like two in the afternoon. I finished all of my farming tasks hours ago."

"Hours ago...?" I thought about how early he must have gotten and cringed, "So that early rising thing is true, huh?"

"There's a lot you need to learn about farming, Roxas. Number one is that you wake up at five in the morning every day and you like it," he said, "Number two is that you stay out of my way."

I rolled my eyes, "And with that cryptic message, I think it's time for you to go."

"But I was just about to fight the gym leader!"

"I need to go meet Hayner before he sends out a search party for me."

He huffed a little, "Fine... But if I find my dog in your house again I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Right, because I obviously have some kind of evil plan to steal your dog away from you," I scoffed, shoving my feet into my boots so I could go see Hayner.

"C'mon Charlie," he muttered, clapping his hands as he headed for the door, "Let's go play fetch for awhile."

I followed them out, starting to get a little fuzzy from the pain meds as I walked next door to find Hayner harvesting some turnips. "Who actually eats turnips? I'm not sure if I've ever seen a single human being eat one."

"Roxas, there you are! We were starting to wonder if those pills put you in a coma!"

"Yeah, well... I kind of had another run-in with Axel. His dog seems to really like me or something, 'cause he's broken into my house twice now."

Hayner laughed, "Doesn't surprise me that Charlie is trying to get away from him."

"Well, I had planned on scoping out the farm today and seeing what I could get started on, but my broken rib is telling me otherwise. Now I don't know what to do," I sighed, wishing that I wasn't an invalid.

"So take a day to just relax. You broke your rib, I'm sure everyone will understand if you take it easy for a couple days," he shrugged, standing up and brushing his hands off on his jeans, "Sorry our psychopathic neighbor maimed you."

I shrugged, "He's not so bad, actually."

"Take it from me, Rox. When he first moved here, Olette and I tried so hard to be friends with him but he just pushed us away like he did with everyone else. Hell, it's his birthday next week and nobody even remembers. Olette usually sends him a plate of cookies, but... I'll put it this way; the party we had last night doesn't even compare to the birthday parties we usually throw people."

"So nobody celebrates it with him?" I frowned, "That's kind of sad..."

"He did it to himself. Keep that in mind," he said, leaning back against his fence. "The second you go and try to 'fix' him, the entire thing is going to blow up in your face. Do yourself a favor and stay away from him."

I glanced over at Axel's house, watching him throw a ball for Charlie. He was definitely a jerk. There was no way around it. But the way his face lit up when he was playing Pokemon was just enough to hint that maybe deep down there was a somewhat decent person in him.

Hayner was right, though. It wasn't my place to try to fix him, not when I had an entire farm to get back up and running. Once I healed enough to start working, the farm had to be my number one priority. And it would be.

...

 **A/N:** I was so worried that I wouldn't get this chapter out tonight! But here it is. An update every day since I started posting. Be proud of me!

Isn't Axel so adorable figuring out video games for the first time? Super cute! I have plans for that too. :3

Keep on reviewing! You know I love it!

 _Simply Rexene_


	7. Seven

...

 **Seven**

...

After a couple of days of well needed rest and healing, I found myself wandering around my farm and wondering how on Earth I was ever going to get it all in order. The barn was sturdy enough but it was absolutely filthy and in no condition to house an animal. The chicken coop was a different story. It was completely run down, and I was actually a little afraid to walk inside for fear of it falling apart on me. On top of that, it was filthy as well. It smelled disgusting and it was covered in old dried up hay. Thankfully the fields didn't look too bad, just a little overgrown with weeds. I'd probabaly be out there for hours before I could even think about planting anything.

"How're things looking?"

I really wished that Hayner would stop sneaking up on me like that, because he literally gave me a heart attack every time I saw him. "Well, I'm pretty sure a light breeze could topple the chicken coop but other than that everything is pretty much just dirty and over-run with weeds."

"I'd go see Luxord to pick up some cleaning supplies, and then talk to Sora and Van about fixing up the coop," he suggested, "Did you check the tool shed to see what you have?"

I nodded, "Yeah, there was a watering can, a hoe, a sickle and a fishing rod."

"Good, that should definitely get you started. Once you start making some money you can see Xigbar to upgrade to better tools as well."

"I was thinking I could maybe stop by the library and check out some books on farming techniques so that I can really work the land to it's best potential," I mentioned, "I did a lot of research online before I moved out here, but I have a feeling that the books here will really shed a light on this particular land."

He chuckled, "I'd say so; your grandfather wrote half of them."

"Seriously? I didn't know he was a writer as well..." I trailed off into my thoughts, wishing that I'd gotten the chance to see him more often. Maybe reading his books would shed some light on who he was as a person so that I could get to know him better.

"Roxas, you with me?" he laughed, waving his hands in front of my face as I totally spaced out.

I nodded, "Yeah, sorry... I was just thinking about my grandpa. He left me this entire farm and I really never even knew him."

"He was a pretty great person," Hayner smiled, "You remind me of him quite a bit, actually."

"Really? My mom kept telling me that I was a lot like him but I never really believed her, I guess."

He shrugged, "I definitely see it, and I know Olette does too."

"I should head into town and pick up everything," I sighed, half wishing that I could still be lazy. My side still hurt, but it had become more of a dull ache that I could handle with just one of the pain pills instead of two, which definitely left much more of my wits about me.

"Do you mind picking up some taffy for me from the General Store? There's a rumor going around that Luxord finally got some more in, and it's absolutely delicious."

I chuckled, "Sure, no problem. Let's just hope that I actually remember."

"Thanks. I should get back to the farm and help Pence milk the ladies. Jezebelle really does _not_ like him."

On my way into town with my leather messenger bag slung over my shoulder I couldn't help but feel a certain air of relief that I wasn't in the city anymore. Everything about the country just felt so freeing. Feeling my boots crunch in the dirth path rather than skid against harsh pavement, feeling the breeze ruffle through my golden hair, hearing birds chirping and animals shuffling about; all of it was just absolutely wonderful.

I smiled a little to hear the genuine brass doorbell ring as I stepped into the General Store. "Hey Luxord," I greeted him, giving him a small wave as he stood behind the counter, "Where's Larxene?"

"She's over at the library attending one of Namine's art classes," he told me, setting aside the book he'd been reading.

"Oh... I didn't know Namine taught."

He nodded, "Actually, nearly everybody in town teaches some class or another for the kids based on their strengths and all that. Zexion covers most of the main subjects like Math and English, but sometimes Demyx will have a class on fishing or Sora will have a class on Carpentry just so that they can learn some of the more valuable skills they need to know around here."

"I did wonder how school worked for the kids. So it's all based out of the library then?"

"Yeah. It's hard with some of the age differences between the kids, but we try to group them the best we can," he told me, moving from behind the counter and stepping closer to me, "How's the busted rib?"

"Still aches, but the stabbing pain has mostly stopped unless I try to bend over too far," I said, quickly realizing that I wasn't going to be able to just walk in and out of any of the stores here without having a conversation.

He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, "I outta kick that guy's ass for hurting you like that. Some welcome, eh?"

"He really didn't mean to do it. He was just worried about his dog," I wasn't sure why I was defending him; he was a dick that entire night.

"Well, you let me know if he gives you any more trouble. I'll set him straight," he assured me, smiling warmly.

I chuckled uneasily, "Thanks, I guess..."

"Roxas, would you like to maybe get a drink with me tonight at Oblivion?"

His question completely caught me off guard, but I tried my best to hide the shock on my face, "Uhm... I'm sorry, what?"

"Right; I've just made a complete fool out of myself... I thought-ignore me. I don't know what I was thinking. Go ahead with your shopping."

I stood there for a minute like a gaping fool before finally saying something, "How did you know?"

"I could tell immediately by the way you reacted to Larxene's flirting," he admitted, blushing madly, "I suppose I got a bit too excited to find that I wasn't alone anymore and jumped the gun a bit."

"Actually, a drink sounds good," I even surprised myself as those words came out of my mouth, but I figured it was pretty harmless. "But can I ask a totally horrible and offensive question first...?"

He smirked, "I'm 35. Larxene was a drunken teenage accident. Is that too terribly ancient for you?"

My cheeks flushed dark red as he answered before I could even ask, kind of feeling like an asshole, "Not at all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound completely rude..."

"You said yes, and that's all that matters to me. How about I pick you up at seven?"

I laughed, "You make it sound like it's not a five minute walk down the street."

"Hey, it's five more minutes I'll get to spend with you," he turned up the flirting hardcore now that he knew I was at least vaguely interested. "I really didn't even think about it though... Are you sure you want to come out to the entire town?"

"I came here to start over and be myself, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I would hope that everybody can find a way to accept that," I told him, moving to browse the first row of shelves as I spoke to him. I was so sick of hiding who I was and pretending that it was okay. I was gay; it was just a simple fact of life.

He breathed a sigh of relief at that, following me as I scanned the shelves. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"I need some cleaning supplies so that I can start cleaning up the barn. It's in pretty bad shape," I explained as I browsed, "But I'd like to just kind of check out what you have as well."

"Well let me know if you need any help. We carry all natural cleaning products that are safe to use around animals, though I do hope you realize that barns are going to be a bit dirty no matter what you do."

I chuckled at that, "I do understand that, but I've got a bit of OCD that really won't let up until I at least give it a good initial overhaul."

"Got it," he grinned at me as we heard the doorbell ring.

"Duty calls," I teased, "I'll be fine, you should man the counter."

As I looked through the store a million thoughts were running through my mind. I really wasn't sure how I felt about Luxord. He was definitely an attractive man; he pulled off his short platinum hair and goatee well and he was definitely one of those tall, buff looking guys that I was generally drawn to. He was older, yeah, but what was ten years? We were both adults. Still, something had me hesitating about the idea of dating him. Maybe I would be pleasantly surprised and end up really liking him. Who knew? I just hoped that I wouldn't have to break his heart and lose a friend.

...

 **A/N:** For some reason, this chapter just felt weird to me. Sorry if it isn't as good as the others so far. I really didn't want to have Axel in this one, because I'm trying really hard to take their relationship nice and slow. (Unlike my other stories where they go from zero to fucking in like three chapters.) Either way, let me know if it was just me thinking that this chapter was strange or if I'm not totally nuts and it really was.

Yes, I know... I brought in Luxord again and made him a side pairing with Roxas. I don't know why I've been so drawn to that little crack pairing lately, but I kind of weirdly like it? I also have a strange attraction to older men, which might have something to do with it. But hey, Axel is 32 in this story anyways and I know y'all will still like it! ;P

Something about watching the words scroll onto the screen as I type is totally mesmerising me tonight... why? I have no idea. No, I'm not on drugs. XD

I'm pissed at myself because I'd been updating every day and then over the weekend I got hella sick and didn't update at all Friday or Saturday. :( Sorryyy. I'll try to be better about it now. And the next chapter is going to be their date, so that'll be super interesting!

I have rambled quite enough, I think, so I shall bid you all farewell for the evening. (It's 2 a.m. lol) Remember to leave a review!

 _Simply Rexene_


	8. Eight

...

 **Eight**

...

It had been so long since I'd gone on a date that I almost forgot what it was like to get ready for one. Somehow none of my clothes felt right to wear at all; I must have cycled through about ten different outfits before I settled on something that was classic me-dark wash jeans, a black t-shirt with a band logo on it and my nice leather jacket with one of those collars that stood up rather than folding over. Of course I wore my typical black combat boots with it. I really never wore any other kinds of shoes, save for Converse occasionally.

I'd been able to get a bit of cleaning done in the barn, mainly getting rid of the old decaying hay which I promptly tossed in the fire pit out back and burned, but my side stopped me before I could really get too far with my cleaning. I would have pushed it a bit further, but I didn't want to be too sore for my date with Luxord. Luckily, out here all I had was time. There was really no rush for me to get it all done in one day.

When I heard a knock at the door I had a sudden rush of nausea rise in my throat. I fended off the urge to vomit as I answered the door, pasting a smile on my face. "Luxord, hi."

For a moment he just stood there and stared at me, which admittedly freaked me out a little, "Sorry, I don't mean to stare, I just... I guess I'm not used to this. You look quite handsome."

"Thanks," I laughed nervously, "You do too." It was true, he really did. He normally just wore jeans and a t-shirt, but tonight he was wearing a nice red plaid flannel shirt over a white t-shirt with some nicer (and cleaner) jeans and a pair of brown boots. It actually looked like he'd gone through and planned it out, which was kind of cute.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, a grin creeping across his lips.

I nodded, stepping outside and closing the door behind me, "Please tell me that Riku makes some badass hot wings?"

"The best in town," he chuckled, walking strategically next to me so that just every so often our hands would brush against each other, "Well... the only in town. But they're amazing. He makes his own hot sauce."

"Is this town heaven? Did I die back in New York and get sent here?" I joked, "Hot sauce is a definite weakness of mine."

He smiled, "Wouldn't have taken you for someone who likes spicy food, honestly."

"Don't think I can handle things hot?" I elbowed at him playfully, "We lived near an Indian restaurant, so I grew up eating spicy curry pretty much every day. There was one point in high school where I thought I'd burned off all of my taste buds."

"So you lived in the city, right?"

"For most of my life, yeah. There was a small portion where I was sent to boarding school in London, but that didn't last long..." Apparently they had drugs in London too, and they weren't that hard to find. Kind of foiled my parent's master plan to sober me up by shipping me out of the country.

He seemed a bit surprised by that, "Really? I grew up in London, oddly enough."

"I kind of figured."

"There are more places in England than London! I could have picked up my accent anywhere," he defended his country, feigning offense.

I rolled my eyes, "I know, Luxord. But there are some subtle nuances to your accent that are more common in London."

"So you're observant. Nice," he seemed impressed by that. "What did you do before you came out here?"

 _A lot of drugs...?_ "I had a couple of odd jobs here and there, but my life was a bit aimless. I dropped out of college after one semester, went through some things... This really was a great opportunity for me."

"Before Larxene and I moved out here I was actually a barber. So whenever you need a haircut, I'm your guy," he told me, which surprised me a little. He didn't seem like the type, but it was kind of cool that he was a barber.

"I might take you up on that sometime. I think my general mess of hair could use some attention."

He chuckled, "I think it's rather cute, actually. You pull off the messy look well."

"Well thank you," I laughed as we came up to the bar. He stepped ahead of me and held the door open, which was nice of him. I really wasn't used to this whole dating thing at all.

We seated ourselves in one of the more secluded booths in the corner of the room and he grabbed the drink menu, "What's your poison?"

"What do you recommend?" I asked, reading the other side of the menu as he held it up between us.

"Well now, that depends on your personal taste. Do you like sweet drinks? Sour? Mixed? On the rocks?"

I thought for a moment, "Actually, how are the whiskey sours? I had a bit of a soft spot for them in college."

"Again, you've surprised me," he chuckled, putting the menu aside, "They're fantastic. It's like drinking fresh lemonade, but with a bit of a kick to it. Very refreshing."

"That sounds perfect!" I grinned as Xion made her way over to our table.

She eyed us carefully as she approached us, "Why hello gentlemen. What can I get for you?"

Luxord spoke up before I could even open my mouth, "Two whiskey sours and an order of hot wings and french fries."

"You read my mind," I said as she looked at me to add anything, "Sounds good, Xion, thanks."

"Are you two...?" she studied us for a long moment, looking thoroughly confused, "I'll just go get your order in..."

I smirked a little, "Subtle..."

"Starting to regret coming out with me?"

"Not at all," I told him, meeting his cool blue eyes.

He seemed to brighten up a little at that, "So tell me more about yourself. Everyone in this town pretty much knows each other inside and out, so it's nice to have someone new to figure out."

"Well what kind of stuff do you want to know?"

"Hm... your favorites. Foods, desserts, colors, music, all of it."

I thought for a minute, "Okay... Well my favorite food is definitely chicken with curry sauce. Favorite dessert is hands down bubble gum ice cream."

"Now hang on a minute," he stopped me, stifling a laugh, "Bubble gum ice cream...?"

"Uhm... yes? It's ice cream that tastes like bubble gum."

He couldn't contain his laughter any longer, but I didn't mind, "Wow... You're hilarious. You go from curry chicken to bubble gum ice cream like those aren't the two most polar opposite foods on the planet."

"Okay then, what're your favorites?" I challenged him, curious to hear his answers.

"Hmm... I'm gonna go ahead and say beef stew and chocolate chip cookies."

I actually wasn't too surprised by that. They were pretty classic foods. "Okay, so maybe your favorites aren't quite as crazy as mine. How about your color? Mine's red."

"I'm going to be absolutely boring and say black," he chuckled, "And I'm sure it won't surprise you much to say that I like pretty much any kind of music. We don't listen to much out here besides Demyx's sitar playing, but back before I moved out here I was kind of just a chameleon."

"Now here's the part where I might totally scare you off," I joked, actually a little nervous to tell him what kind of music I liked, "I'm kind of a metalhead."

He cocked an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair and eyeing me across the table, "Seriously?"

I motioned down to the logo on my shirt, "The Animal in Me. They've got an amazing female vocalist and an epic male screamer."

"Well I suppose I'll have to give them a listen sometime, won't I?"

I relaxed a little, "Sure. I can lend you my iPod if you'd like."

"It's kind of funny... the people who were raised in this town have no idea what iPods are, or any of the new technology," he told me, "Even I'm a bit behind on it all. When we moved out here iPods had literally just been invented."

"I noticed that, actually. Axel seemed rather fascinated by my handheld video game. When did he move out here?"

He shrugged, "He's lived here as long as we have. And what were you doing hanging out with him anyways? That guy is a tool."

"He sort of broke into my house looking for his dog. Charlie kept coming in through the dog door in the back, so Axel nailed it shut."

"He couldn't have just asked you to do it instead of committing a home invasion?"

I sighed, "He doesn't seem like a 'wait and ask' kind of guy."

"He needs to be taught a lesson in manners," Luxord grumbled, "The man's nearly as old as I am and he has the graces of a twelve year old."

For some reason, that peaked my curiosity, "How old is he?"

"I don't know... Thirty one, I think?"

"So he'll be thirty two next week..." I noted to myself, recalling that Hayner said his birthday was coming up.

His confusion about my interest in the subject was interupted by Xion bringing our drinks to the table, which thankfully lightened up the awkward veil that had fallen over the conversation. Talking about another guy on our date probably wasn't the best idea... Hopefully I'd be able to come back from it.

...

 **A/N:** Okay, so I had to split the date up into two chapters or this one was going to be ungodly long. Roxas was doing so well until he crammed his foot into his mouth! We'll have to see how the rest of the evening goes when I return!

Also, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! Love you guys so much and I hope you keep it up!

Also also, that band that I mentioned actually wrote the song "The End of the Road" that inspired the title of this story. You should check them out! Again, they're _The Animal in Me_.

 _Simply Rexene_


	9. Nine

...

 **Nine**

...

"So what did I tell you? Best wings around?"

I wiped the extra hot sauce off my mouth with a napkin and smiled, "More like best hot wings ever to exist."

"I could tell you enjoyed them from the way you practically inhaled them," he chuckled, motioning to the pile of bones in front of me.

"I was a tiny bit starved," I admitted, "I spent so much time cleaning the farm earlier that I forgot to eat."

He gasped in shock, "Blasphemy! You must be dying of hunger! We can order more food if you'd like. I don't mind hanging around longer at all."

"Well I don't know... If we order more food, we might need another drink," I teased, shaking my glass of ice.

"Xion!" he called over to her, "Come here, darling."

She hopped back over to our table and smiled, "Ready for the check?"

"We're going to hold off on that for now, actually. Roxas here is absolutely starved, so we're going to need another round of hot wings and fries along with refills on our drinks."

"Trying to get him drunk, eh?" she winked at me as Luxord blushed deeply. "I approve. You get some, Luxy."

As she walked away it was all I could do not to burst out laughing at how red his face had gotten. "Luxy...?" I cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"Xion loves to coin us all with terrible nicknames," he explained, seeming just horribly embarrassed.

"It's cute," I stifled back my laughter, popping an ice cube into my mouth and chewing on it. It was a bit of a nervous habit, and one I hoped wouldn't scare him away.

He stared at me awkwardly for a long moment before finally speaking up, "Am I totally blowing it tonight, or am I just over reacting?"

"You're over reacting," I smiled at him, "I thought I blew it by talking about my neighbor." I almost made a "he-who-shall-not-be-named" reference, but I had a feeling that Harry Potter hadn't quite made it out here.

"Well you didn't," he reached across the table and stopped me from popping another ice cube into my mouth, "So you can stop your nervous ice chewing. That's probably bad for your teeth."

I grimaced, "Sorry... I can't help it sometimes."

He rather slyly left his hand resting over mine as I relaxed a little, "The last thing I want to do is make you nervous, Roxas."

"It's not you, Luxord. I just never expected to meet anybody in this town that I could see myself dating, so I guess I'm just not prepared for all of this."

"I've lived here for thirteen years and not been on one single date in all of that time," he told me, laughing softly, "And you think _I_ was ready?"

I blushed lightly, "I guess we're both a little inexperienced in all this... I think my last date was in London, and it ended with me waking up in an alleyway missing my shoes."

"Ah, sweet memories of the homeland," he joked, gazing off into the distance in rememberance of that _wonderful_ place.

"Not to sound totally rude, but... does Larxene know about your ...preference?"

He chuckled softly, "So Larxene was about four years old. We were living in a small apartment in the neighboring city over here and I was working at a small family owned barber shop. I couldn't afford daycare, so she would just hang around the shop with me most days. I had one particular client that would come in once a week to have his bald fade touched up, and he always requested me to do it no matter what. It didn't take me long to figure out that he liked me, and I had a bit of a crush on him as well. We hooked up one night, but I wouldn't really allow myself to date him because of Larxene. But then one day while I was cutting his hair, Larxene marched up to us with this total look of determination on her face and flat out asked me, 'Daddy, are you guys in love?'"

I tried to stop myself from laughing and instead snorted, "Oh my God, that's adorable..."

"So then naturally I had to have the whole conversation with her about how Daddy liked other men, which probably went right over her head at that age. But she didn't seem to care, so he and I started seeing each other more regularly until it just became normal to her. Of course when we broke up, she was absolutely crushed. I think she'd been thoroughly enjoying bragging to the whole preschool about her two daddies."

"I'm sure the school was absolutely thrilled about that," I smirked. Homosexuality was just now becoming an accepted fact of life with the legalization of gay marriage, but back then it was still a pretty touchy subject.

He shrugged, "They called a few times to complain, but I just told them that I simply did not give a fuck. If they wanted to kick her out, I would have just homeschooled her. Anyways... even when she got older and realized what being gay really was and how it was treated socially, she still stood by my side. I remember when Yuffie moved to town... Larxene was eight and I think Yuffie was ten and they bonded instantly. That was the first time she asked me if girls could love each other like boys could."

"I see she grew out of that pretty quickly," I laughed, "She's quite the flirt now."

"She drives me nuts," he shook his head in exasperation, "She's got that librarian wrapped around her little finger. Poor kid..."

"Who, Zexion?" It was then that I realized that I'd completely forgotten to go to the library earlier.

He nodded, "They've got some kind of little romance going on... That's why she hangs around the library so often. But I have a feeling that she's a tease like her mother was."

"Please tell me he's not creepy old?" I guess I'd been picturing the librarian to be a bit older, but I had a feeling that if that was in fact the case, Luxord would have put an end to it a long time ago.

"He's nineteen," he eased my mind, "I still don't like it... She's too damned young to be dating..."

I grinned, "You sound like such a dad. You had to have been, what... sixteen when you slept with her mom? Be glad she hasn't gotten herself knocked up yet."

"I know, I know... Larxene's been remarkably tame for a teenage girl. But I still worry..."

"You've got a great daughter, Luxord, and she's lucky to have you as a father," I smiled warmly at him, my heart racing as I moved to grab his hand with mine and squeeze it.

His cheeks flushed visibly, but he didn't pull his hand away. "Thank you, Roxas... That means a lot."

I inhaled my half of our second order almost as quickly as the first, and my second whiskey sour had my head starting to get just a little bit fuzzy. On hindsight, it might not have been a great idea to take my pain meds before drinking. But the night had certainly turned around, and I was actually a bit sad to have him walking me home.

"This was really fun, Luxord. Thank you for dinner, too. I wish you'd let me at least pay for the second order of food..."

"Don't be silly. It was my treat," he told me, reaching over and taking my hand in his again. "Besides, you can cover it next time."

I scoffed, "What makes you think we'll be going out again?"

I swear to God I could heart his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach, "Oh..."

"I'm kidding, Luxord," I chuckled, squeezing his hand, "I'd love to go out again. ...Like, tomorrow."

A grin spread across his face and suddenly he stopped in the middle of the path, stepping in front of me to halt me in my tracks.

I stared up at him, raising an eyebrow curiously, "...What?"

It had been so long since anybody had kissed me that I seriously didn't see it coming until he was like half an inch from my face. Of course, being my horridly awkward self, I tilted my head up more at the last second and his kiss landed somewhere between my bottom lip and my chin.

"Well that wasn't my finest moment..." he stepped back, blushing madly as he tried not to make eye contact with me.

I facepalmed, feeling like the worst human being on the planet, "That was totally my fault... I'm such a loser."

"I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that... I'm sorry," he apologized, running a hand through his hair.

I groaned in frustration, wishing that I hadn't toally ruined the moment. "Luxord...?"

The moment he turned his head to look down at me I grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him down into a kiss that I landed right on his lips where it belonged. He let out a little yelp of surprise, but once he gathered his bearings he wrapped his arms around my waist and deepened the kiss just a little bit. I let my hands move to rest behind his neck, keeping him pulled down to my level for as long as I could get the kiss to last. Every movement he made against my lips sent a shock through my entire body; it'd been way too long since I'd kissed anybody.

I don't know how long the kiss would have lasted if it weren't for the big ball of fluff pushing himself in between us like a barrier. "Charlie..." I grumbled, stumbling back as he completely wedged himself between Luxord and I, effectively separating us from each other and ending our kiss.

Luxord just seemed to be in a daze. I honestly don't know if he'd even noticed Charlie, or if he just thought that something had willed us apart.

"Charlie, get back here!" Axel's voice rang through the night as Charlie pranced around my ankles begging for pets. "Of course... why am I not surprised?" he rolled his eyes as he saw that it was me who Charlie was bothering.

"Have you ever thought about, I don't know... maybe getting a leash for him?" I suggested saltily, stepping back to Luxord's side.

Axel stared back and forth between us, looking thoroughly confused, "What're you doing out here, Luxord?"

"Walking my date home," he snapped, glaring at the redhead.

"Date..." he muttered, trying to wrap his mind around that. "Right... Stay away from my dog," he warned me, turning on his heels and walking away as Charlie followed close behind.

Luxord looked down at me, "So..."

"I'm sorry about that... his dog is obsessed with me, I have no idea why," I apologized, incredibly pissed that our moment had yet again been ruined.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, stepping forward and lacing our fingers together, "Nothing could ruin my night now."

I frowned, "Even saying goodbye?"

"Well I think I'd be all right if, say, you promised to come visit me at work tomorrow?"

"I think I could manage that," I grinned, leaning up and kissing him one more time. "Good night, Luxord."

As we parted ways, I couldn't help but smile a little. The date had definitely gone better than I thought it would, but I still feared that we just weren't a good enough match to last. He was a great guy, but I wasn't sure if the chemistry was there. I'd give him a chance, though. I needed to do that.

...

 **A/N:** Apparently all of my dates just last like a million years, because this chapter was longgg. (For me.)

I almost gagged having him kiss Luxord... but it's kinda cute! ...Right? :/

Lemme know what you think! I'll have another chapter out soonly!

Also check out my new bestie's story. Her name is Velv3tteV3nom and she wrote a badass story called Alive that features MUCHLY AKUROKU and I love it. So go read it and remember to review it!

 _Simply Rexene_


	10. Ten

...

Ten

...

When I woke up the next morning I actually didn't hate that my alarm went off at five in the morning. It almost felt like I was floating on air as I showered and got dressed. I had a lot to do before I went into town, though I really just wanted to sprint to the General Store and wait for it to open at nine.

Most of my early morning was spent outside yanking weeds out of the ground, mostly because the barn's electrical system was shot and none of the lights worked. When the sun was out I could open the doors up nice and wide and see everything decently well, but I had actually risen before the sun.

Unfortunately around noon my side really started to hurt and I knew that I needed to stop and get some lunch (and maybe stop and see Luxord along the way.)

I'd only made it about two steps past Hayner's house when suddenly he was glued to my side, "So... I saw something quite interesting last night while I was walking back from the barn."

I looked over at him, "Yeah?"

"Yeah... and I was hoping you could clarify something for me," he continued, "And tell me that you were not kissing Luxord last night."

"No, I was," I shrugged, "We went on a date and it went really well."

I could actually hear his mind explode and he grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "Roxas, why wouldn't you tell me that you're gay?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered? I'm still the same guy," I told him, starting to walk again, "And I really like him, so you can either be supportive or leave me alone."

"Hey, I'll support you no matter what, Rox. I don't care who you like. That's your choice," he caught up with me, "I just wish you'd told me back when I made that comment about Namine."

I turned to him, "I honestly didn't think it would matter because I didn't expect to meet anybody out here. But Luxord and I had a really good time last night."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, I guess. Everyone deserves a chance at love, even if nothing actually comes out of it."

"Are you saying we aren't going to last?" I elbowed him, chuckling.

He laughed, shoving my shoulder playfully, "I'm just saying that you shouldn't be pressured to stay with him just because he's the only other gay guy in town."

"I know that! What do you take me for?!"

"All right, all right! As long as you know," he stuck his tongue out at me, following me into town. "Grabbing lunch at the cafe?"

I nodded, "Yeah... I was going to stop and see if Luxord wanted to come. Join us?"

"I was on my way to see Sora and Van, actually. More planning about that fencing. But we'll get lunch together sometime this week, promise."

As he sprinted off down the path towards the other side of town, I turned left towards the General Store and pushed open the heavy wooden door.

"Ooh, Daddy you have a visitor!" Larxene called into the back when she saw me, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I had a feeling you'd be stopping by after that kiss."

"Why am I not surprised that he told you?" I chuckled, leaning against the front of the counter. "Think you'd be able to hold down the fort for an hour so I can steal him away for lunch?"

Luxord emerged from the back room, his face lighting up when he saw me. "She'll be fine by herself. I'd love to join you for lunch."

"But Daddy!" she whined, pouting, "I was gonna go see Zexy..."

"You can go when we get back," he told her, shrugging a black hoodie over his black t-shirt and turning to me, "I assume we're going to the cafe?"

I grinned, "Why yes we are."

"So, couldn't even wait a full day since we last saw each other? I'd say that's a good sign," he commented as he followed me out of the shop to head next door.

"Not gonna lie, I was contemplating knocking on your door at five this morning."

He raised his eyebrows in shock, "Wow... I didn't think I'd left that good of an impression on you."

"I didn't either, honestly, but it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up."

"Well then I won't feel bad for having the urge to invite you to breakfast this morning."

We sat down in the cafe and I grabbed one of the menus to see what exactly my cousin was cooking up back there.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?"

"Hey Ven!" I grinned up at him, "What's up?"

He looked back and forth between us, "I just had to see it to believe it. There've been rumors going around all morning that you two are dating."

"I wouldn't say that we're dating... We've been on a date."

"So then what do you call this?" he raised an eyebrow.

I looked across the table to Luxord, "I suppose we're dating, aren't we?"

"We have indeed gone on multiple dates now," he chuckled, "But don't feel the need to label things. Really."

"I don't mind if you don't," I shrugged, "I do fully intend on going out with you again."

Ventus made a weird little squealing noise, "Aww! You go, Roxas. It's nice to see you fitting in here so well."

"So what shall you be cooking for us this lovely afternoon?" I asked him, tapping on the menu. "I want your best dish."

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup it is," he smiled, turning to Luxord, "What about you?"

He thought for a moment, "I'm gonna have to go with the same. And have Aqua send out some iced tea?"

"Sure thing," he bounced away in a rather hyper fashion, seeming pretty happy. I had been a little nervous about him finding out, but he was totally cool with it.

"Hm. That went better than I expected," I laughed, but when I turned back to look at Luxord he had a pretty intense look on his face, "Whoa... what?"

He stared at me for a minute before cracking a smile, "You're kind of adorable. But hey, I had a question. How would you feel about joining me at poker night? I meet up with Cloud, Leon and Zack every Friday night and completely own them."

"Ooh... that sounds like fun. But I don't know how to play. Can I just watch you this time? Maybe join in next week?"

"Sure," he grinned, "I'd love to have an angel on my shoulder all night."

...

A/N: I gotta admit, guys... I'm falling for the crack pairing just a little bit. Not enough to ever use it again, but it's kind of adorable. But don't worry! I have so many plans to get Axel into the mix. :3

Sorry this update took awhile! I've been supah busy at work. Everyone needs their holiday haircuts!

Pretty please remember to review my lovelies!

Simply Rexene


	11. Eleven

...

Eleven

...

"Axel, hey!" I opened the door at a rather irrate knock.

"I'm not a damned postman," he growled, shoving an Amazon package at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Thank you for picking it up for me."

"Whatever... How did you even manage to order something online?"

"I called my dad and had him do it for me," I shrugged, hugging the package to myself, "You know, I could have just ridden with you to town and helped with your deliveries and stuff."

He glared holes through my head, "I don't need help. Just keep the online shopping to a minimum. I'm not stopping at your PO Box every time I go into town."

"You're so damned salty," I chuckled, "I've got to run to the General Store. Thanks again!"

"Weren't you literally there like an hour ago?" he raised an eyebrow as he stepped aside.

I shrugged, "That was just to see Luxord. Now I actually need to buy something."

"Ew... You seriously like him?"

That stopped me in my tracks, "You know what, Axel? Yes I fucking do. And I don't appreciate you treating me like I have a fucking disease just because I'm gay. I'm sorry I ever asked you to do something for me; I should have known better. How about you just go the fuck home and live your miserable life far away from mine?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Roxas, I don't have a problem with you being gay. I have a problem with you moving here and potentially stealing my business. I have a problem with whatever strange thing you have going on with my dog. I have a problem with your choice of starter Pokemon. But I do not have a problem with you being gay."

"Wonderful. I'm glad you approve of my life choices," I grumbled snarkily, marching down the path.

I huffed all the way into town, feeling rather grumbly after my interaction with Axel. I think Sora could tell, because normally when I walked by him he would say hi and stop to chat, but today when we passed each other in town he just kept on walking.

I stalked into the General Store and started creeping up and down the aisles in search of what I needed, but I wasn't having much luck.

"Roxas...?"

The way I turned on Luxord must have scared the shit out of him because he recoiled like I was about to bite him. "What?"

"Jeez... what's got your feathers ruffled? You seemed in good spirits when you left earlier."

"Just had a visit from the jerk fairy," I sighed, trying to loosen up, "I'm sorry..."

He tilted his head to the side, "I do wish you wouldn't let him get under your skin so much."

I whined softly and let myself fall forward into him, resting my head on his shoulder and sighing heavily, "I was just trying to do something nice and it totally backfired on me..."

He wrapped his arms around me and chuckled, "What're you talking about?"

"Nothing... Do you have any wrapping paper and ribbon?" I mumbled into his soft flannel shirt, loving the way he smelled. It was so clean and manly.

Luxord pushed me away from him and looked me in the eyes, "You bought him a birthday present, didn't you?"

My cheeks flushed red, "It's nothing..."

"Roxas Michaels, you are just too kind for your own good," he laughed, pulling me down the next aisle, "We don't have a huge selection, but it'll work?"

I pouted up at him, "Am I insane to think that maybe I can get through to him?"

"You're not the first one to try, but maybe you'll be the first one to succeed. I think it's sweet of you," he told me, leaning down and kissing me softly. "You're still coming tonight, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah... I was just going to wrap his gift and leave it on his doorstep, because I seriously don't think I can handle interacting with him again."

"I don't blame you. Now go so you can come back later," he told me, swatting me towards the counter, "Larxene can check you out."

...

My dad had ordered exactly what I told him to, and I was really glad that it worked out that way. I had been a little nervous trusting him to order it, but he did pull through.

I wrapped everything carefully, my OCD kicking in just a little bit as I tied the ribbon around and pulled out the card I'd also ordered online to fill out. I wasn't really sure what to say, so I just kind of started writing.

'Happy Birthday, Axel. Now we can battle and you can choose your shitty fire starter. (Water type is still the best.)'

That was good. ...Right?

Yes, I bought Axel his very own shiny red 3DS XL and Pokemon Y. I wasn't sure what exactly compelled me to spend so much money on him, but it really seemed like a gift he could use and appreciate. The money aspect didn't really bother me... what did I need it for anyways?

I waited to drop it off until closer to the time I was supposed to meet Luxord and the guys. I didn't bother knocking or ringing the doorbell... He'd find it eventually. It was a clear night, and his porch was covered anyways. I really didn't want to risk running into him.

I felt like I'd walked back and forth to and from town about a billion times that day, but I was happy to do it in order to see Luxord. Something about him was just beginning to feel ...comfortable.

"Roxas!" he greeted me as I walked into the General Store yet again, pulling me into a hug, "It's good to see you for the third time today."

I chuckled, leaning up to give him a quick kiss, "So you said the game is held upstairs?"

"Yeah, we always sit at the kitchen table. Makes life easier. C'mon, everyone is here already," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs.

"Were you just sitting down here waiting for me...?" I raised an eyebrow as I followed him, "I could've found my way upstairs."

He shrugged, "I got too excited I guess."

"You're rather excitable, aren't you?"

"Haven't been in a long time... I guess you're changing that about me," he looked over his shoulder, flashing me a handsome smile.

I smiled back, "Now lets go own at some poker."

...

I had to say, poker night with the guys went astronomically better than I expected. Luxord and I were a vicious little team, but everybody was in such good spirits that we just had a great time. Of course, as with any good poker night, there was a lot of beer and junk food involved. By the end of the night I was definitely stumbling back to my house with Luxord as my kind escort.

"Jeez, Rox... how many beers did you have?"

"Welll... I wasn't playing poker so I had to do something!" I giggled, spinning around in a circle happily.

He caught me as my foot slid in the dirt and I fell backwards, chuckling and turning me to face him, "We're never going to make it to your house if you don't start walking."

"Well how am I asposed to do that?" I cocked my head to the side, staring up at him with glazed eyes.

"All right, Roxas... One foot in front of the other. Don't make me carry you home."

I huffed and started stomping down the path towards my house like a child throwing a fit while he chased after me to make sure I didn't fall again. Luckily, I made it to my front porch without incident. "I had fun tonight, Luxy."

"Ohh, goodness... You need to go inside and chug some water," he opened the front door, guiding me into the house.

"Stay with me," I pouted, clinging onto him as he sat me down on the couch.

He laughed, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to get you some water. And maybe some bread..."

"With butter and honey?" my ears perked up at the mention of a snack.

"You're ridiculous," he ruffled my hair, "Next time I'm monitoring your alcohol intake."

I bit at his hand, reaching up to smooth my hair out. "Nobody fucks with my hair!" I announced, swatting at him as he walked into the kitchen.

Two pieces of toast and four glasses of water later I finally had my wits about me again, "Jesus... how bad was it?"

"You were just silly," he told me, sitting next to me on the couch with his arm around me, "You kept begging me to stay with you though."

"I do remember that..." I mumbled, blushing softly. "Remind me to cool it with the beer next time, okay?"

He nodded, "Think you'll be okay now? I don't think you'll have a hangover... Chugging a lot of water usually helps with that. You just need some sleep."

"I am pretty tired," I yawned, stretching out my limbs and wincing as pain shot through my ribs.

"Still hurting?" he furrowed his brow in concern.

I grumbled, "A constant reminder that my neighbor is a fucking twat."

He snorted in an attempt to mask his laughter, "I need to get back and make sure that Larxene hasn't tried to sneak Zexion into the house in my absence."

"All right... thanks for taking care of me," I leaned up and gave him a kiss, sighing softly, "Good night, Luxord."

"You gonna sleep down here?" he chuckled as I sprawled out on the couch.

I shrugged, "Why not? It's a comfortable couch."

"Good night, Roxas," I could hear the smile in his voice as he flipped the lights off and left me to sleep.

...

I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep when a sharp knock at the front door scared me so badly that I fell off the couch. Before I could even pull myself to my feet, Axel came flying into the living room in a flurry of red, flipping the lights on and pacing back and forth.

"Uhm... hello?" I blinked a few times, hissing at the sudden bright light.

He jumped halfway out of his skin when he saw me sitting on the floor, "What're you doing down here?"

"I think the better question is 'what're you doing in my house?'" I snapped, heaving myself back up on the couch.

"Did you...? Was that...?"

I assumed he meant the gift, "The birthday present? Yeah, it was from me. I know I was a couple days early, but I figured-"

"Why? Why would you do something that nice for me?"

"Fuck if I know..." I ran my hands through my hair, yawning heavily. "Could this really not have waited until morning?"

He looked at me quizzically, "Roxas, it's six a.m. I found the package when I came outside to take care of the animals."

Right, my alarm was upstairs. "I'm exhausted..."

"Roxas... why did you do this?"

"Because... you deserve to know that somebody cares. And I do. You might be a total asshole most of the time, but I know that there's something more there."

Axel looked at me wildly and I could tell that his mind was racing. "Roxas, there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay?" I stood up, trying to cross the living room to grab some more water from the kitchen. My mouth was dry as hell, and he was starting to irritate me.

"Stop and look at me," he grabbed my arm, forcing me to stare up at him.

I growled under my breath, "What?"

"Just... thank you," his eyes softened a little as they met mine.

"You're wel-"

I didn't even get halfway through my sentence when I was cut off by his unreasonably warm lips descending over mine. The kiss absolutely took me by surprise, but what really had me confused was how every fucking inch of me did not want it to end. I could have stayed there for the rest of my life locked into that kiss with him, but it was a fleeting moment that ended too quickly.

"Axel..." the word caught in my throat as I stared up at him in shock.

And just like that, he turned on his heels and raced out the door.

...

A/N: *hyperventilates*

Sorry the update took so long! But I think you all shall forgive me with the end of the chapter there. ;P

I'm not gonna chat much more because I wanna go upload this, sooo... Remember to review! Love you all!

Simply Rexene


	12. Twelve

...

 **Twelve**

...

After the whole ordeal with Axel I laid back down on the couch and stared at the ceiling for awhile in shock before falling into a deep coma of sleep. I had no idea why the fuck he would kiss me like that, and the thought of it was just pissing me off further and further. He knew I liked Luxord. He knew we were dating. That kiss was just incredibly uncalled for, and completely random! Was he even gay? Who the fuck knew? It's not like we'd ever shared more than a few vicious sentences between us.

"Roxas, darling, are you alive?"

I startled awake at the sweet sound of a British accent floating through my ears, opening my eyes to find Luxord standing over me. "Mm... what're you doing here?"

"Well we were rather worried about you. It's nearly four in the afternoon and nobody has seen you so much as leave the house. And here I find you still snoozing away!"

"I did a lot of walking around yesterday... it made my side sore, which made me sleepy. Plus alcohol," I added, sitting up a little.

He chuckled, "I'm sorry to just let myself in, but I was genuinely worried."

"No, it's okay... C'mere," I pawed at him, pulling him down to sit next to me and laying my head in his lap, "I need to tell you something..."

After squirming for a moment to make himself more comfortable, he started to run his fingers through my hair, "What's up, love?"

"Axel came over really early this morning... he found the gift I left him, and I guess it really left an impression on him or something. Anyways... it caught me totally off guard, but he kind of kissed me. And I really can't figure out why. Is he gay?"

I could feel his entire body tense up as I told him, and I quickly realized that it might have been a bad idea to come clean. "I don't know, but he's gonna be fucking dead."

"Luxord, don't go getting any revenge ideas," I looked up at him in concern, "Believe me, I'm never letting it happen again. It took me completely by surprise... I had no idea that he felt anything for me at all."

"As long as I don't have anything to worry about..." he grumbled, wrapping an arm over my shoulders possessively.

I snorted, "No way in hell. I don't want anything to do with that ass."

"Good," he perked back up, moving his hand back to my hair. "I take it that your farm is still a disaster?"

"I've kind of given up on doing much until I heal... it makes things so much more difficult. I've got more than enough in my savings to hold me over until I get it up and running, so I'm really not worried. I'm more concerned that if I keep pushing it with this rib that it won't heal right. It's been hurting more lately..."

"Then you need to take it easy," he told me, "There's nothing wrong with that."

I looked up at him with wide eyes, "I really like you, y'know."

"Well good. I really like you as well," he smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss against my forehead. "I still feel like murdering that jerk Axel though."

"I really just don't understand it... Who does that? Who just kisses someone like that completely out of the blue? I was so pissed off."

He smirked, "I suppose I can understand why he would want to kiss you... You're rather alluring, you know."

"Right... because my morning breath and bedhead is so attractive..." I blushed softly, realizing that I probably look (and smelled) like hell at the moment.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but your breath could wilt flowers, darling," he ruffled my hair, laughing heartily.

I felt my face heat up as I sat up, covering my mouth, "I'm sorry..."

"How about this? You go take a shower and brush those pearly whites and I'll wait down here and then we can just hang out for awhile? Larxene's watching the shop tonight for me."

"I'd like that, actually," I smiled, "I have a ton of movies I bet you've never seen. Wanna get updated on current cinema?"

He grinned, "Ooh... That does sound like a wonderful time. Hurry back, yeah?"

...

"Okay, so we're starting with the new Batman movies. Christian Bale is the perfect Batman," I told him, getting my recently unpacked PS3 hooked up to the TV.

"Oh my God, the picture is so clear..." he marveled as the home screen popped up.

I chuckled, "Yeah, that's the beauty of the flatscreen. I saw your old ass television on poker night... it's a bit sad."

"It gets me the weather," he shrugged, "That's all I've really needed it for."

"Well after I get you hooked on Game of Thrones, you'll be knocking down my door to watch more every night," I warned him. I'd made sure to get the Blurays for all of my favorite movies and shows due to the lack of internet around here. I would seriously miss Netflix...

He smirked, "I could think of worse ways to spend my freetime... I suppose I should be flattered if you want to watch a whole series with me, eh?"

"I guess that means I plan on keeping you around," I winked at him as I popped 'Batman Begins' into the PS3 and grabbed my remote, plopping down next to him on the couch and leaning against him.

He moved to put his arm around me, pulling me close and getting comfortable. "I hate to say this, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to pay attention through the whole movie."

"What do you mean?" I turned my head to look up at him, only to be caught in a deep kiss. The movie started, but I could already tell that he had no intention of watching it. Which was just fine with me. I'd been wondering when we would really have some time alone.

I shifted a little to lay back on the couch and he took the hint and moved over me, gladly continuing our kiss in his more dominant position. He seemed to like being on top, which was more than fine by me. I liked when my partner would kind of take charge.

"Mm... hang on, that lamp is blinding me," I laughed, blinking a few times as I found myself staring up into the standing lamp next to the couch.

He reached up and flipped it off, leaving us to adjust to the darkness. "Better...?"

I nodded, feeling the mood shift a little as I gazed up at him in only the light of the television, "Much better..."

"So you're ...comfortable with this?" he asked, smiling softly as he stared back down at me.

"More than," I grew impatient, pulling him down into another kiss. He seemed so cautious to push things with me, when all I really wanted was ...well, to push things further.

That seemed to satiate his conscience and he shut up, accepting that I was totally cool with laying there and making out with him for however the hell long we wanted to. Of course, one of the side effects of that was a rather embarrassing physical show of arousal that I'm pretty sure he picked up on immediately by the way he halted.

"Roxas..."

I smirked playfully, "Yeah?"

"Uhm..."

"What's wrong?" I tilted my head to the side cutely. He was clearly nervous that he'd elicited such a reaction from me, and probably embarrassed that he was also quite 'happy.'

"N...nothing..." he mumbled, blushing and kissing me again. My lips were buzzing from the attention in the weirdest way, but I kind of liked it.

When I say to you that the door suddenly flying open scared the living shit out of me, I mean it whole-heartedly. I thought I was going to have a fucking heart attack. Axel was starting to remind me of Kramer from Seinfeld with the way he just burst into my house.

"Roxas, I gotta-"

I assumed that the sight of us on the couch was what stopped him short in his tracks, but the death glare from Luxord was enough to melt the skin off his bones.

"What the hell are you doing here, you fucking asshole?" Luxord bit harshly, pulling himself off of me and standing up as I tried to figure out what was happening.

"I need to talk to Roxas," he didn't seem too phased by the anger in Luxord's eyes, but I for one was absolutely terrified at what he might do.

Luxord grit his teeth, "Normal people knock first... Though I suppose you aren't very normal, are you now?"

"Roxas, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I..." he trailed off, getting distracted by the movie, "Is that supposed to be Batman?"

I grabbed Luxord's arm as he moved to advance on Axel, pulling myself to my feet and pausing the movie, "Focus, Axel. Finish your thought." I had the vague feeling that he might have ADHD or some other kind of disorder.

"Right. I don't know what came over me. That was just a stupid mistake. I don't even _like_ you."

Luxord shrugged me off of him and before I could stop him, he was right in Axel's face, "Listen to me and listen to me good... I don't know who you think you are or what bug crawled up your ass that turned you into such a God damned jerk, but you are going to leave Roxas alone from here on out or so help me I will personally dig you a grave in your own backyard and put you in it."

Axel seemed almost surprised that Luxord was even in the room, like he hadn't noticed him before or something. He was quite the curious person, and to be honest I was rather intrigued by him. "Luxord, back off. He was just trying to apologize."

"Go ahead and threaten me, blondie. I'm not afraid of you," Axel taunted him, "Roxas, I'm sorry. Luxord, fuck off. Goodbye."

That seemed to light Luxord's fuse and just as Axel turned to leave, Lux grabbed him by the arm and simultaneously socked him right in the jaw, knocking him back against the front door hard.

"Luxord!" I yelped, for some reason feeling the need to run to Axel's side, "What the hell?!"

"Seriously, you don't think he deserved that?" he crossed his arms over his chest, quite pleased with himself.

I shot him a glare, inspecting Axel's quickly reddening jawline. "Are you okay, Axel?"

He just nodded, more in shock than anything else.

"I'll go get you some ice," I told him, lifting myself to my feet slowly and sending Luxord another dirty look on my way into the kitchen. I understood that Axel was a bit rough around the edges, but there was absolutely no reason for violence.

When I came back with the McGuyvered icepack made out of a Ziploc baggie and a towel, Luxord was brooding on the couch as Axel remained seated against the front door with a permanent look of surprise written across his face. He took the icepack and pressed it to the sore area, his eyes thanking me before I returned my attention to my asshole of a boyfriend.

"I think it's time for you to go home," I told him, resisting the urge to completely chew him out.

"I can't believe you're actually mad at me for this. He clearly deserved it."

I pointed to the side door off the kitchen, "Out. Go home. Cool down. I'll see you tomorrow."

He grumbled all the way out the door, but I wasn't about to let him get away with what he'd done.

"Axel, talk to me. Are you really okay?"

He sighed softly, "I suppose I really did deserve that... I don't exactly have the finest social graces."

"This is going to sound absolutely terrible, but... have you ever been diagnosed with any kind of disorder...?" I wondered, feeling like an awful person the moment it came out of my mouth.

"Not officially," he didn't seem phased by it at least. "But I've always known that I didn't exactly fit into society's standard for normal..."

I sat down next to him against the door, "I shouldn't have asked that. And I'm sorry about Luxord. Had I known what he was going to do-"

"Don't apologize. It was quite apparent that you didn't want him to hit me."

"Of course I didn't," I laughed softly, "I mean, I was pretty pissed off after you kissed me like that and ran off without an explanation, but I wouldn't punch you over it."

He breathed out slowly, "About that... It's not that I don't like you. That might've been a bad way to phrase it. I just don't like you in that way. Sometimes I just do things before my brain has a chance to fully process it, and that was one of those instances. I was just so... I mean, that present was amazing. Nobody here even remembers my birthday anymore, so to have you do something so kind..."

"I understand, Axel. It's fine. Just try to remember next time that actions have consequences. I spent all morning wondering what that kiss meant when a simple explanation right when it happened could have saved us literally all of this trouble, and your poor face as well."

"Eh, it doesn't hurt too bad. He probably busted up his hand worse than anything I feel," he shrugged casually, dabbing the ice pack at it. "It's going to leave a wicked bruise, though. I always bruise so easily..."

I jumped a little at some sudden scratching at the door, realizing quickly that it was probably Charlie looking for Axel. "I think someone is wondering where you went," I smiled, standing up and offering him a hand.

"Thanks," he grunted, allowing me to pull him up onto his feet. "I'll get out of your hair now. But maybe we could battle later?"

"Sure, give me a call when you're all set up. Keep in mind, I'm working with higher level Pokemon. If you need, I can try to catch a lower level to make it fair."

He smirked, "I might have spent all day powering through the first four gyms..."

"Damn!" I exclaimed, impressed by his dedication, "All right then, I'm not holding back."

"I wouldn't expect you to. I'm still gonna kick your ass," he grinned, opening the door and allowing Charlie to come barreling in to say hi to me.

I gave him a few pets, laughing as he literally sucked my hand into his mouth with his gigantic tongue, "Jeez, Charlie, buy me dinner first," I joked.

At first I wasn't sure what was wrong with Axel, but then I realized that he was trying to hold himself back from laughing at my comment.

"Axel, just laugh. You don't have to hide from me," I told him, wiping my hand on my pants.

He thought about that for a minute, "You know what? I don't. And I like that."

...

 **A/N:** Omggg so fucking adorable. I love Axel and all of his ADHD cuteness. :3 And seriously, his little moments where he just barges into Roxy's house are supposed to be very Kramer-like. If you don't know who that is, look it up on Youtube. :P He's hilarious.

Also, I don't know if you noticed Luxord calling Roxas 'love' a couple times throughout the chapter, but it's only supposed to be a British petname. He's not saying that he loves him or anything. Thought I'd clarify that.

Love you guys! Keep leaving me reviews please!

 _Simply Rexene_


	13. Thirteen

...

 **Thirteen**

...

It had been about a week since Luxord had knocked some sense into Axel, and ever since then Axel and I had developed a sort of nightly routine together. Mind you, I hadn't actually physically seen him all week, but every single night at around seven he would call me and we would battle our Pokemon and chat on the phone for hours. One night we'd actually stayed up until like two in the morning just playing our individual games while on the line with each other. Towards the end we weren't even talking, but something about just hearing him breathing over the reciever was oddly comforting. Of course staying up that late was beginning to take it's toll on our morning routines as well, but neither of us seemed to care too much.

As for Luxord... I'd forgiven him for his idiocy, but we'd definitely cooled it a lot on the dating front. I'd been with a guy who had a short fuse like that before and it did _not_ end up being a healthy relationship.

"Hey loser, you ready to get owned?"

I rolled my eyes at Axel's typical greeting when I picked up the phone right on cue at seven o'clock. "Might I remind you who ultimately won last night?"

"Yeah, well... I caught a new secret Pokemon after we hung up and got his level way up," he bragged. I could literally see the smug look on his face in the back of my mind.

"I'm still going to beat the hell out of it," I taunted him, settling down in my bed with a snack and my 3DS.

We'd been talking for quite some time when suddenly he got really quiet. I didn't think much of it; we usually reached the point where we didn't talk at all anyways. I could still hear him on the other line, but it started to get kind of fuzzy and weird for a minute. I honestly didn't even hear him open the front door and when he appeared in the doorway of my bedroom I didn't even notice him at first.

When I finally looked up, I jumped a little. I really hadn't expected him to be in my house ...ever? But there he was, holding his 3DS with Charlie at his heels. He didn't say a word, just walked over to my bed and motioned for me to scoot over and make room for him as he hung up his phone and left it ontop of my dressed. I hung up mine and threw it aside, letting him sit down next to me. Charlie, of course, heaved his big ass up onto the bed and wormed his way between us promptly.

We were silent for awhile, his presence going unquestioned until I literally couldn't take it anymore, "Get lonely?"

He nodded, glancing over at me with surprisingly soft eyes.

"Okay," I said simply, smiling softly as I turned back to my game.

Another long period of silence passed between us before he started to shift uncomfortably, probably from sitting in one place for too long. My heart nearly stopped as he suddenly moved to lean against me, resting his head on my shoulder and putting his own game down, watching me play my own for awhile.

"Wanna see another game?" I spoke up after a few minutes, figuring that he might be interested in the world outside of Pokemon as well.

He nodded against my shoulder, "Sure."

I reached over and grabbed my game case, finding another one that he might like, "Okay, so this one is called Fantasy Life. It's super fun and it has a ton of options for who your character can be."

I could tell immediately that he was interested because once I started up a quest he moved even closer to me, shoving Charlie to the end of the bed so he could see better.

"So... I went out to dinner with Luxord again," I tentatively brought up the subject, wondering what he would say.

"Did he punch anyone?" his voice tinged with irritation.

I sighed, "No... but he still won't admit that what he did was wrong either."

"I don't get it. What do you see in him?"

"I'm not sure anymore... Ever since that night I just don't see him the same way as I did before," I admitted, setting my DS down and shifting to look at him. Was this what girls did on sleepovers? Lay in bed and talk about boys?

He fell silent for a minute, "...So how's work on the farm coming? I saw you outside earlier."

"I actually got some seeds in the ground today," I smiled, so happy that I was starting to get things in order. "I won't be able to raise animals until Sora and Van help me fix up the barn and coop, but I can at least be half a farmer until then. Hayner has been taking up all their time with his fencing project."

"Can I make a suggestion? Because I think you're overwatering your crops. If you drown the seeds they might end up gettign washed away and grow in strange places," he told me, reaching down to pet Charlie.

I smirked, "Have you been watching me, Axel?"

I swear the dark red blush that hit his cheeks was the cutest thing ever, "N...no... I just noticed."

"I think you were," I sang, grinning at him as he got all flustered.

"Shut up," he grumbled, turning his attention down to Charlie and trying to ignore my teasing.

Suddenly a question flickered through my mind and out of my mouth before I could stop it, "Axel, are you gay?"

That caught his attention again and he looked up at me with wide eyes, "What?"

"Whoa, I'm sorry... That was not cool. You don't have to answer that," I quickly rescinded, trying to laugh it off.

"I'm bisexual," he chuckled, nudging me in the side. "How long have you been waiting to ask that?"

It was my turn to blush, "Since you kissed me last week..."

"So you've been thinking about it a lot...?"

"It might have been the best kiss I've ever experienced," I admitted, staring down at Charlie to avoid looking him in the eye.

I could hear his breath catch up in his throat, "Yeah... So you felt that too?"

"Makes me kind of sad that we don't like each other," I told him, "Chemistry like that isn't found often."

There was an insane amount of sexual tension rising between us at that point, but he didn't seem to want to change the topic or anything. He was just kind of quiet.

"Because we don't like each other, right?"

"...Right," he nodded slowly, though he didn't exactly seem convinced of that.

I could feel my heart start to beat faster at his hesitation and I dared myself to meet his eyes.

"Roxas..." my name slid off his tongue as I caught his gaze. If you'd asked me what I thought of him just a week ago, I would have said that he was the biggest jerk on the planet and that I would never hang out with him. Now I actually found myself wondering if I did have feelings for him. It was amazing what a few late night phone conversations could change.

For awhile we just stared at each other. I wasn't sure what to say or do, but I didn't want to look away. It was weird... I felt like we were connecting even though we weren't saying anything.

This time it was me who couldn't help myself. I leaned in to kiss him, but what my mouth hit was definitely not Axel. It was a lot of fur and a little slobber. "Charlie..." I let out an exasperated sigh as he started to attack my face with his tongue.

Axel blinked a few times before he figured out what had happened. I feel like he'd been fully expecting me to kiss him before Charlie totally ruined the moment. "Charlie, get off!" he grumbled, pulling him away from us and banishing him to the end of the bed.

I wiped my face off and looked around uncomfortably. The moment had definitely been absolutely destroyed, and now I didn't know what to do.

"So..." I mumbled, "Did you want to play more Pokemon? Or-"

Apparently Axel didn't need a moment, because he cut me off with literally _the_ most amazing kiss ever. It was sweet and passionate and he smelled like cinnamon and tasted like bubble gum and God damn if those weren't my two favorite things all in one. I just let myself melt into my bed as he eased me onto my back with his hand cradled behind my head in a strangely intimate way. When I say that my heart jumped up into my throat, I mean it. I felt my entire nervous system light up like a fucking Christmas tree. It was even better than the first one, and I had not thought that was possible.

Words weren't necessary, but continuing that kiss was. We kissed each other like it was our last ten minutes on Earth, yet something about it stayed oddly sweet and caring. I don't know why, but I'd always pictured him getting really dominant and like... intense with kissing. But that wasn't what was happening at all, and I liked that. (Don't get me wrong, there was a time and place for some intense kissing.)

After what felt like hours but yet somehow only seconds, he finally pulled back. We shared that moment of eye connection that made my heart flip and then he cracked the biggest smile ever, "That was fucking adorable."

A huge blush hit my cheeks, "What was...?"

"You moan when you kiss... like a lot," he stared down at me, biting his lower lip as he continued to grin.

"I do?" I grimaced. I had honestly never noticed.

He chuckled softly, "Not loudly... It's really cute."

"Stop..." I tried to hide my face under my hands in embarassment, but he grabbed my wrists and stopped me.

"Don't. Don't be embarassed. You don't have to be afraid around me, okay?"

I eyed him carefully, "Says the man who broke one of my ribs..."

"Okay, well... Not like this," he laughed, his amazing emerald eyes sparkling as he gazed down at me.

"Axel... What does all of this mean?" I didn't want to ask, but I had to.

He frowned slightly, shifting onto his side next to me, "I don't know..."

"Do I need to talk to Luxord...?" I was trying to dance around the major issue; aka ' _are we fucking together or not?'_

"Do you want to...?"

Neither of us wanted to say what was on our minds, apparently. "I mean... I don't know?"

"He's not going to be happy."

"I don't give a fuck," the sentence came out more viciously than I had intended.

He smiled, "So you do want to break up with him."

"I guess I do," I laughed, "But we don't have to... I mean..."

The awkwardness was fucking real. "Right, we don't have to be ...together or anything."

"But I do want to kiss you again."

"I think I can handle that," he grinned, his eyes lighting up a little.

"So... Is this like a friends with benefits thing?"

He raised an eyebrow, "For now. I wouldn't count out something more in the future."

...

 **A/N:** AWWWWWWW! :3 *squee!* I was like exploding when I was writing this. So. Fucking. CUTE!

Thank you sooo so much for all of the wonderous reviews! I do so appreciate it muchly! Omg and it's just going to keep getting better too. So excite.

Love you guys! I'll be back with more soon!

 _Simply Rexene_


	14. Fourteen

...

 **Fourteen**

...

"Hey Rox! It's been awhile," Ventus emerged from the kitchen as I headed into the Cafe.

"I know... sorry I fell off the face of the Earth," I told him, sitting down at a table and sighing heavily.

He eyed me carefully, "Are you okay? You kind of look like hell."

"I have to break up with Luxord..." I mumbled, trying not to say it too loud and have a rumor hit him first.

"What?! Why?!" he sat down across from me with a look of concern on his face.

I shot him a glare, "Hush! I don't need the whole town to know!"

"Sorry... Well then, why? I thought things were going well."

"There might be someone else," I whispered, my cheeks flushing red.

He raised an eyebrow, "Like... someone from out of town?"

"No..."

"So who then? Wait, are you bisexual? Are you with a girl now?" he asked, his eyes darting around the room.

I chuckled, "No, you dork. I'm gay. Definitely not into women at all."

"Wait... but then who is this other person? Is it Demyx? I always thought something might be up with him..."

"It's not Demyx."

He thought for a long, long time. "...Xigbar?"

"Ew!" I exclaimed a little too loudly, "Jesus, Ventus... No, it's not him!"

"I give up," he huffed, sitting back in his chair, "Who is this mystery guy?"

I really didn't know how to tell him that I was starting to like Axel. I'm pretty sure he hated Axel as much as everyone else in the town. "It's uhm... my neighbor..."

"Hayner?!" he screeched, "Holy shit! What about Olette?!"

"Other neighbor, Sherlock..."

The look on his face was a mixture of disgust and intrigue, "You don't mean... Axel? Really?"

"I know. I know that everyone hates him. I know he's been a jerk to me and everyone else. But... he's really not a bad guy. We kinda bonded over the past week and I think I might really like him..."

"Just like you really liked Luxord?" he pointed out.

I grumbled, "I've seen another side of Luxord that I didn't particularly enjoy. And things with Axel are different. They don't feel ...forced. It's kind of just something that happened naturally."

"I _seriously_ don't get it. But whatever... Just be careful with Luxord. He's got a bit of an anger problem."

"Didn't think to tell me that before?" I laughed, though I was starting to get really nervous about talking to him.

He shrugged, "Didn't think it would be a problem. But if you leave him for Axel, he is _sooo_ not going to be happy."

"Am I totally insane?"

"Yes, but that's why we all love you," he teased, standing up, "I gotta get back in the kitchen. Good luck though!"

"Bring me a grilled cheese?!" I yelled after him, glancing over at the clock. Luxord was supposed to meet me in five minutes and I was becoming increasingly nervous as time went on.

When the door opened and Luxord walked in I felt my stomach tie up in a knot. He looked especially handsome today, like he'd gotten all primped for our lunch date. He was even trying a new pompadour hairstyle rather than his usual buzz cut. Why was he making this more difficult?!

"Roxas!" his face lit up when he saw me and he leaned down to give me a kiss before sitting across from me.

I forced a smile, "Hey. I like the new haircut."

"Really? I was a bit nervous to let the top grow out, but I think it looks okay. Did you order yet?"

"Sort of. Depends if Ventus heard my cry for a grilled cheese," I shrugged, "I'm sure Aqua will be by any moment."

He chuckled and motioned over at the table she was lingering at, which just happened to be Terra's, "I think someone else has her attention."

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something..." I mumbled, my heart beating erratically.

"What's up?"

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, "So... do you remember how Axel kissed me that one day...?"

"I remember decking him in the jaw for it," he grumbled, "Why?"

"Well... Here's the thing... It kind of happened again," I swallowed hard, flinching a little as I forced myself to look at him, "Please don't be mad!"

He was grinding his teeth together, his jaw taut with anger, "I thought it didn't mean anything to either of you..."

"It didn't! ...But then it did. We've been hanging out a lot and he's actually not a bad guy, he's just seriously misunderstood and I might be maybe developing feelings for him..." I rambled on and on.

"Roxas, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

I sank down in my chair, "I think we need to break up..."

I couldn't bring myself to look up at him, but he was really quiet for a long time. "You're leaving me ...for _him_?"

"No, not exactly... I'm leaving you because... Well, I need space to explore this with him. I don't know if I'm going to date him or what's going to happen. But I don't want to be leading you on in the meantime."

"I can't fucking believe this. For _once_ in my God damned life, I was finally happy. And you're going to end it all for some fucking sociopath that doesn't even know how to act like a human being?!"

He was getting a little loud and people were starting to stare, "Luxord, please... calm down..."

I jumped as he slammed his fist down on the table, "No, damn it! I'm not going to calm down! This is bullshit, Roxas! Did you ever even like me? Or did you just settle for me because I'm the only other gay guy in town?"

"N..no... Luxord, I like you... I just..." I couldn't even find the words to explain myself. I felt horrible for doing this to him.

"Is there a problem here?"

My eyes immediately shot to the familiar voice coming from behind Luxord. "Axel? What're you doing here?"

"I had a feeling you might need me," he shot a glare at Luxord, who immediately stood up to challenge him. "Don't go getting any ideas, bigshot. I'm not gonna go down without a fight this time."

"I don't remember you being welcome here, asshole. Or welcome anywhere, for that matter," Luxord bit, eyeing him up and down. Somehow Axel was even taller than Luxord, though I wasn't sure how that could have been possible.

Axel just smirked, "Feeling a little butthurt, Luxord?"

"Ohhhhkay..." I stood up and got between the two of them before anything could go down, "I'm sorry, Luxord, but I stand by my decision. We can't be together anymore."

"I can't believe you're seriously doing this to me! What the hell could you possibly see in him?!"

"Much more than I currently see in you," I mumbled, "C'mon Axel... We should go."

Luxord shut up at my comment, standing there in shock as we walked out of the cafe. I hadn't wanted things to go that way, but he was the one who freaked out.

"Why did you come to the cafe, Axel?" I asked him as we headed back down the path home.

He shrugged, "You told me you were talking to him today and I wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt."

"So... You knew about his anger issues as well?"

"Yes, enough to know that this won't be the last we hear about it from him. You need to watch yourself, Rox."

I stared down at the path, "Well shit..."

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," he told me, glancing over at me with a soft smile. "And neither will Charlie. I opened up the dog door again so he can come see you when he wants."

"No more 'stay away from my dog' nonsense?" I laughed, kind of glad that I'd have Charlie occasionally. I'd been thinking a lot about getting my own dog lately.

He rolled his eyes sarcastically, "Okay so _maybe_ I overreacted a little. But he's never taken to someone like he has to you before and I might have been a little jealous..."

"Axel, he obviously adores you. You're his person! You'll always be his number one."

"Well I know that _now_!" he poked me in the side playfully (my good one, that is.)

I moved to swat his hand away, but he shocked me completely by tangling his fingers with mine and just holding my hand. And he just kept walking like it was nothing.

"So... did you maybe want to come over tonight and watch a movie or something?" I wondered, glancing up at him.

"I wanna watch this Game of Thrones show you've been squawking about on the phone every night," he grinned, "But only if Charlie can come too."

I pretended to actually think about it, "Well I dunno..."

"I'll be over at six with some taffy and popcorn," he told me, parting ways as we reached his house. "I just have some chores to finish up."

"Sounds good."

...

 **A/N:** Ooh, bitch... They're starting a series together! That's some instense shit right there. Luxord is definitely a little butthurt... And he's definitely not done being an asshole about it either.

Thank you, thank you for the reviews! Please keep letting me know what you think!

Until next time!

 _Simply Rexene_


	15. Fifteen

...

 **Fifteen**

...

"Roxas! You home?!"

I startled awake, feeling unusually hot but oddly comfortable. My first thought was that Charlie had snuck back inside, but then I heard a very much asleep Axel mumble something under me.

"Axel, wake up," I poked at him, "I think we fell asleep playing video games."

"Roxas?!" the same voice called.

I grumbled a little, "I'm here! Gimme a second!"

Hayner could wait until I woke Axel up, though it was like trying to wake the dead.

"Axel. C'mon, you gotta wake up," I started to shake him by his shoulders until finally he opened his amazing green eyes.

"What...? Roxas? What am I doing here?" he smacked his lips dryly, sitting up slightly and running a hand through his horrible bedhead.

I chuckled, "I think we fell asleep playing Pokemon last night. And I think your hair might have started a rebellion..."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah... laugh it up blondie. I'd like to see you try to control shoulder length hair."

"Hey, so Hayner is downstairs looking for me. Did you want me to get rid of him...?"

"Why would I want that?" he quirked an eyebrow.

I shrugged, "I dunno... If he sees that you stayed the night he might jump to a bunch of conclusions."

"Do you want me to pretend not to exist while you talk to him?" Axel asked me, shoving Charlie off his probably numb legs.

"I mean... we aren't officially dating or anything, so..."

He nodded, "Got it. I'll be quiet as a mouse."

I crawled out of bed and headed downstairs, kind of irritated that Hayner was there. "Hey, what's up?"

"Jeez, what're you doing just getting out of bed? Have you been staying up late again?"

"Bite me, Hayner," I snapped sarcastically, "Did you need something?"

He just shrugged off the quip like I never said anything, "I wasn't sure if you knew about the festival today, so I thought I'd drop by and remind you. It's the annual flower festival! Basically we all get together in the town square and have a big party with delicious food and flowers _everywhere_. Marly and Kairi have been preparing for weeks!"

"Oh... Well maybe Axel and I will stop by," I smiled, wondering if I could really convince him to go with me.

"Cool. It starts at two, so you'd better get showered and go water your crops soon."

He seemed like he wanted to talk more, but I pretty much shoved him out the door. "I'll see you at two, bye!"

Just as I closed the door, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind, "You want to go to the flower festival, don't you?"

I turned around to face Axel, grinning sheepishly, "Kind of..."

"Fuck, your breath smells like death!" he jumped away from me, making a huge scene of gagging and hacking.

"Ohh fuck off," I grumped, slapping a hand over my mouth, "Yours isn't a walk in the park either..." That was a lie; his breath always smelled amazing.

He laughed, "Aww, I'm sorry Roxy... But go brush your teeth, okay?"

 _Roxy...?_ When did he start calling me that? "Well you need to go shower and fix that mop you call hair!"

"When should I pick you up for the festival?" he wondered, summoning Charlie to his side with a click of his fingers.

"It starts at two," I smiled, "So you wanna go?"

He let out a heavy sigh, "Only because you'll be there. But I warn you: flowers make me sneeze a lot. I'm just going to be a sniffly mess."

"I'm okay with that," I poked him, "So come get me before two."

Okay, so you would definitely think by the way we were acting that we might be dating... But it had been a couple weeks since I told Luxord about us, and we'd decided to keep it on the down low until we were sure he was okay. Going to the festival together wasn't really keeping quiet about it, but it wasn't like I was going to hang all over him either.

We hadn't kissed since that first night that my feelings started to develop, though every time I saw him I had the urge to totally jump him. It was like we had a completely electric connection between us, even if we were both holding back a _lot_. We were trying super hard to stay in the realm of "just friends," but it was so difficult!

...

"Fuck it all..." Axel growled as he sneezed a couple more times, "I hate having allergies..."

"It's all so beautiful!" I all but ran into the town square, where there were quite literally flowers _everywhere_.

But Axel caught me by the back of my shirt, pulling me back before I could run off, "Now hang on a second. I agreed to come here with you, but we're hanging back a little. I'm not quite ready to talk to everyone."

"Oh... okay," I nodded, taking a seat at one of the benches on the outskirts of the square. It might be interesting to just watch everybody for awhile and enjoy the flowers.

I hadn't seen too much of Demyx around town, but from what I could tell he was an incredibly hyper, if not somewhat childish guy. He seemed very fun and easygoing, but he was also maybe a bit too much to handle sometimes?

Either way, he was currently running around the town square in circles with all of the kids, sneaking up and people and spraying them with water. It was kind of cute the way the kids were giggling and following him around, though seeing a grown-ass man pretending to be a ninja was a little unnerving.

Now here's the thing... Xigbar seemed like an okay guy, but he did _not_ seem like the type of person you want to fuck with. At all. Which you'd think Demyx might have learned by now, judging by the stories I'd heard about their previous run-ins. I seemed to recall one incident in which Demyx was almost branded with a blacksmithing instrument for "accidentally" turning his slack tub (a large tub of water used for forging) into a Koi pond.

I think everybody in the town stopped breathing when Demyx began to approach Xigbar with the spray bottle. Even the children abandoned him out of fear. I feel like the only thought running through everybody's minds was just, "Don't fucking do it. Don't you dare."

"Ohh Xigbar!" Demyx sang in an attempt to get him to turn around.

"Wha-?" he couldn't even finish his sentence before he was met with a faceful of probably ice cold water.

The several expressions that crossed Demyx's face when he realized what he'd done were nothing short of absolutely hilarious. Amusement turned into shock, which turned into fear, which turned into absolute terror as Xigbar grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and got right up in his face. "I'm sorry! I thought-"

"Don't hurt Demy!" one of the kids wailed as everybody else just gaped at them.

"I oughta kick your ass, you know," Xigbar sneered, water dripping down his chin and off the tip of his nose.

Demyx flinched, struggling to free himself from Xigbar's grip, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just trying to have fun! I won't do it aga-"

I don't know what we were expecting him to do, but one minute he looked ready to kill Demyx and the next he had the dirty blond locked into the most intense kiss I had ever witnessed in all my years.

Apparently I'd started a trend, and people were just crawling out of the closet all over the place.

When Xigbar released him from the kiss, I swear to God Demyx fell over like a fucking downed tree. I think everybody else had stopped breathing or something, because I could hear the damned crickets chirping in the background as Xigbar knelt down to help him back onto his feet.

"But... But..." Demyx stuttered, obviously completely confused by the entire ordeal.

"You're a damned child... But for some reason I find it endearing," Xigbar told him, actually blushing a little.

We were all waiting for Demy's reaction with bated breath. This could go a few different ways, especially if Demyx wasn't gay. Like I said, I didn't know too much about either of them, so this was really interesting to watch.

Thunderous applause sounded through the town as Demyx launched himself into Xigbar's arms, capturing him in a rather enthusiastic kiss. I couldn't help but grin and join in on the applause as Xigbar actually spun them around in a circle while they kissed, both of them looking eccstatic as they pulled back.

"All right, all right... You all got your show, now go back to the party," Xigbar was unable to hold back a huge grin as he scolded us for watching them.

I almost didn't want to look over at Axel, feeling a tad bit jealous of them. Xigbar hadn't even come out as gay and he was still willing to profess his feelings for Demyx in the middle of a huge town festival, knowing full well that everybody was watching. Meanwhile, Axel and I were hiding in my house every day and sitting away from everybody on opposite sides of the bench and pretending we didn't know each other.

"C'mon, let's go get some food."

I don't know if he had somehow telepathically sensed my jealousy or if I was just really transparent, but I found myself being pulled to my feet by Axel, who then proceeded to hold my hand as he dragged me over to the buffet table that was set up in front of the Cafe.

My entire body relaxed as he laced his fingers through mine, realizing that he didn't want to hide us from anybody. Honestly, I think he was just nervous to be around everyone in town again after being hated for so long.

"Hey, Roxas?"

I turned as I heard my name, finding Xigbar approaching me with Demyx attached to his arm. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to thank you, I guess? I don't think I ever would have had the courage to do that if I hadn't seen how the town reacted to you back when you were with Luxord."

"Oh," I smiled, "Well... I'm glad you decided to be yourself. It's so much easier than hiding all the time."

Xigbar eyed Axel and I up and down, "Are you two...?"

"No," I cut him off, "We're just... friends."

"Right... Just remember that same advice, Roxas. Hiding isn't worth it."

...

 **A/N:** Okay, so I've never, _ever_ written XigDem before, but I kind of love it. Apparently it's a super popular pairing that I somehow had never heard about until I saw it on a KH Facebook page? And then I started going through fanart of it and kind of fell in love with the pairing. I mighttt even like it more than Zemyx, though I do still love me some Zemyx.

This was really just supposed to be a transitional chapter until Luxord's next fit of jealous rage. But how cute was it?!

Damn, Roxas must have some rank morning breath if both Luxord _and_ Axel said something about it. :P I felt the need to put that in because I feel like oftentimes in fanfics, people forget that normal human beings wake up with bedhead and morning breath and sometimes they're kinda stinky. I also think people forget just how nasty sex can be, or rather the cleanup involved after sex. If you're saying that you can get laid and then go straight to bed without even wiping anything off, you're either lying or you had some real bad, real dry sex. Either way, bad breath is an obstacle my fiance and I battle every morning. :P

Pretty please remember to leave me a review! There's gonna be a lot of cuteness and a lot of drama coming up!

Also I started another AkuRoku fic that you should check out. :3 It's called The Show Must Go On. It's a little intense, but it'll be good. Promise.

Buh bye!

 _Simply Rexene_


	16. Sixteen

...

 **Sixteen**

...

"So Roxas... do you know the reason we hold a flower festival?" Axel asked me. It was starting to get dark out, and we had moved to lay down in the grassy meadow just north of the town square and watch the sun set.

"No... I thought it was just to appreciate nature," I shrugged, smiling over at him.

He blushed softly, "It's mostly that... but it's also an opportunity to show somebody that you care about them by giving them a special flower."

"Oh..." my cheeks flushed red as well and I turned my gaze back up to the night sky, "That's interesting..."

Suddenly my vision was obscured by a gorgeous blue flower. I had no idea what it was, but it was so pretty. "So this Is for you..."

I turned onto my side and took it from him, marveling at it's beauty for a moment, "Axel..."

"It's called a blue magic flower. They only grow around here, and they're the only flower I'm not terribly allergic to."

"Thank you, Axel. I love it," I told him, setting it carefully to the side and snuggling up against him. I could feel him tense up as I laid my head on his chest, but he didn't seem to mind. "And thank you for holding my hand earlier..."

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest, "I could see how jealous you were of Xigbar and Demyx."

"I had a feeling," I laughed nervously, "But I don't want to push it. I know we're still just friends."

"Roxas," his voice was stern and it caused me to look up into his eyes. "I don't want to just be friends with you. I never wanted to just be friends."

I stammered a little, "But... but I thought..."

"You seemed really freaked out at the idea of being more than friends, so I never brought it up. I figured I'd just wait till you came around to the idea... But then earlier you about jumped down Xigbar's throat when he asked if we were together, so..."

"Axel, how long have you actually liked me?" I honestly wondered, because it seemed like I hadn't gotten the full story before.

He looked away from me, chewing on his lower lip in a nervous tick, "Since your first night here, after I broke your rib..."

"I don't get it... So why were you such a jerk to me?"

"Would you believe that it's my defense mechanism?" he offered, giving me a sheepish look.

I couldn't help but smile, "Axel... That's so silly. If you'd been yourself around me from the start, maybe we'd have been dating by now."

"Okay, so one more thing..." he chewed at his lip again, "After that first time that Charlie broke into your house... I might have been letting him in after that so that I'd have an excuse to talk to you."

"Axel!" I exclaimed, unable to stop myself from laughing, "That is absolutely ridiculous! Why didn't you just... talk to me?"

He groaned in embarrassment, "Because you were with Luxord and I just... I didn't know how to approach it..."

"That's kind of adorable..." I had to admit, finding it really flattering that he felt so strongly about me for so long.

"Anyways, I totally understand that you just want to be friends. I guess I just wanted you to know where I stand on things."

I thought for a long moment before promptly moving on top of him to straddle his lap.

"What're you doing, Roxas?" I could feel his breath hitch as he stared up at me nervously.

"I want to be with you, Axel. I've been falling for you ever since you first kissed me," I told him, leaning down so that my lips were nearly touching his.

I wondered for a moment if I broke him, because he looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing would come out.

So I took the opportunity to press my lips against his, assuming that the shocked silence was a good thing. The kiss must have pulled him back out of his daze because he immediately wrapped his arms around me and deepened the kiss.

"Roxas... I have one more confession..." he pulled back slightly, his chest rising and falling heavily.

"What is it...?" I asked, wishing that he would shut up so I could kiss him more.

He exhaled deeply, "I really, _really_ want to fuck you..."

My heart might have stopped beating for a moment, and I know I was pretty much immediately aroused by that statement. I hopped up onto my feet and held my hand out for him, "C'mon."

"What? Where are we going?" he asked as I helped him up, seeming confused.

"My house, you dork. I'd sleep with you right here, but it's not exactly a private area."

He followed behind me as I all but sprinted home, allowing me to drag him by his wrist while I clutched the blue flower in my other hand, "You mean...?"

"Damn straight," I told him, walking with a certain determination.

"Are you sure you're-"

"I'm sure," I cut him off, pulling him down the path home quickly. "I've never been more sure about something."

He smirked a little, "Been awhile?"

"Probably not as long as you," I reminded him, glancing at him over my shoulder.

"Well fuck, way to make me nervous," he grumbled as we finally reached my house.

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Don't be nervous. There's no reason to be nervous."

"Right... 'cause gay sex is totally the most natural thing ever..." he muttered sarcastically as I hopped up the steps to my bedroom.

"Okay, so maybe the semantics are a bit more difficult, but it's not like it's going to be terrible. You've done it before, right?"

He paused, "It's been a _long_ time. And you'd better not expect me to bottom. ...Ever."

"Good, 'cause you better not expect me to top," I chuckled, flopping down on my bed and reaching out for him, "See? We're already compatible."

As he crawled over me, he still had a look of worry on his face, "But what if it _is_ horrible? What if it's so bad that you never want to talk to me again?"

"Axel... shut the fuck up and kiss me," I demanded, completely ready for him to stop talking.

He gladly obliged, satiating my need for a nice, passionate kiss while at the same time reaching over to flip off the bedside lamp and leave us in the dark.

"Y'know, Axel, I wouldn't mind actually looking at you while we have sex..." I mentioned, wondering why he felt the need to turn off the light.

"N...Not yet. I'm still too nervous," he told me, catching me in another kiss before I had a chance to object again.

After a few minutes it became apparent to me that he was stuck in the kissing phase and didn't know how to move on. "Axe... take my shirt off," I smiled a little, panting softly from the intensity of our kissing.

I could faintly see him nod in the glow of the moonlight as his fingers began to fumble with the buttons of my black plaid flannel. "I... I'm sorry, I can't..."

I tried not to squeal at how fucking cute he was, reaching up to replace his hands with mine as I quickly unbuttoned the shirt, wondering how we just happened to do this on the one day I wasn't wearing a simple t-shirt. "Breathe, Axel... you don't need to be so nervous with me, okay?"

He sighed, pulling his own shirt over his head as I scooted mine out from under myself, "Sorry..."

"And stop apologizing," I added, letting my hands roam over his bare skin. When I felt a rough texture on his chest, I paused, "Axel...?"

"It's nothing... just a scar," he quickly recoiled, "I have a few of them..."

I frowned slightly, "Is that why you turned the lights off?"

"They're not exactly attractive..." he mumbled, sitting back on his knees as he waited for me to give up my fascination with them.

"I wanna see," I told him, reaching for the lamp.

He smacked at my hand, "No!"

I fought with him until I eventually was able to hit the light switch, stupidly blinding myself for a moment from staring directly into the lightbulb before I turned my attention up to Axel, who was attempting to cover himself with no avail.

"Roxas, turn the light off... You don't need to see this."

My eyes trailed over his body, which was as muscular and toned as I'd suspected, but to my dismay his body was littered with scars. Some were a deep, dark pink and some were lighter and barely visible. Some even looked vaguely fresh. "Axel, where did these come from...?"

I knew that I'd ruined the sexual mood when I could see him fighting back the urge to cry, but I needed to know if they were what I thought they were. "Before you freak out, I haven't done it in a long time."

"Axel..." I could almost feel my heart break as he confirmed my suspicions, "Why?"

"They all hate me, Roxas," his voice cracked as he moved to lay on his side next to me. "And after I lost my brother... Reno was the only family I had left and then suddenly I was alone..."

I turned to look him straight in the eye, "The last time was the last time. If I catch you doing this again we're going to have a serious problem."

"You're allowed to hate me for it, Roxas... They're ugly and stupid and... I don't blame you if you never want to touch me again."

I definitely didn't like what he'd been doing to himself, but for some reason the scars were kind of... endearing to me? "Stop... I don't hate you," I told him, forcing him to look me in the eyes.

"But you don't want to touch me... I get it. You don't have to feel bad."

His breath hitched as I reached over and ran my fingers over one of the worse scars, tracing the line of it and wondering how he'd even survived such a deep cut. Each scar had it's own story... it's own reason. I didn't like it, but I understood it.

"Roxas!" he exclaimed breathily as I suddenly shifted my weight onto my knees so that I could hover over him, pressing small kisses against each of his scars as my fingers continued to trace them. I wasn't sure how he would percieve it, but judging by his small moans he found it just as strangely erotic as I did.

My heart raced as I found my lips traveling downward on his body. It had been probably years since I'd given a blowjob, but it seemed to be the next place I would naturally go. I didn't even have to wonder if he would enjoy it. He was a man; he'd love it.

The only thing I was worried about was whether my technique absolutely sucked or not. I vaguely recalled the last blowjob I gave being rather ...messy. Granted, some people liked that, but I didn't want to disgust him on our first night together either. Goal number one: keep your spit in your mouth. I really needed to remember not to drool on him.

My fingers at least remembered how to deftly unbutton a pair of jeans, so much so that he didn't even realize that I'd done it until I had them pulled halfway down his hips. Once he understood what was happening he shrugged them the rest of the way off, a deep blush traveling over his cheeks as his rather impressive erection sprung up at me.

"God damn..." I muttered, thoroughly pleased with his particular size and girth, and suddenly feeling a bit nervous about my own.

"What...? What's wrong?" he panicked a little, looking down at me while I admired him.

I smirked, "Absolutely nothing, Axel. You're perfect."

"N-"

I didn't even let him finish the word before I gripped his cock in my hand, starting to stroke him curiously, feeling out his sweet spots and what he particularly liked.

"Fuck, Roxas... _Fuck_ ," he grit through clenched teeth, gripping at the sheets as I moved my hand over him.

It was now or never... I knew that if I hesitated now, I'd never build up the courage to do it. So I took in a deep breath and slipped my lips down over the head of his cock, eliciting a rather loud groan from his throat as I ran my tongue over the smooth surface. The taste was surprisingly sweet, which was definitely a relief to me. I'd sucked some nasty dick before, and let me just say; the experience was _not_ pleasant.

It was actually amazing how much muscle memory I'd retained, because my brain sort of just shut down and let my mouth take over. I could tell Axel was enjoying it by the way he couldn't keep his hips on the bed, or his own mouth shut.

"Fuck... Roxas, hang on..." he literally had to grab me by the hair to stop me, "I appreciate the thought, but if we're going to actually be having sex tonight, you need to stop."

I felt my brain click back on and looked down at him, inwardly facepalming as I noticed how wet his abdomen was. Apparently I couldn't give head without drooling _fucking everywhere_.

Axel glanced down, likely curious what I was staring at, and chuckled, "Well shit... we probably won't even need lube."

"Shut up! I can't help it!" I laughed, wiping my mouth off as I sat up to take off my jeans, "Fuck it, I forgot how uncomfortable denim could be..."

His spirits seemed to have risen intensely since we got through the emotions of his scars, because the moment I had my pants off he legit tackled me back onto the bed with a newfound fire in his eyes. "You know I don't expect you to do stuff like that, right?"

"Is this your way of telling me that you don't do blowjobs?" I saw right through him, smirking a little.

"Is that a deal breaker?" he gave me a sheepish look.

I chuckled, "Not at all. Like you said, it's not expected or necessary."

"Good... 'cause I really wanna fuck you. Like _now_ ," he added the urgency, leaning down to kiss my neck.

"Well then you better get on it!" I teased, shifting beneath him to be more comfortable.

He stroked at himself to get a feel for how wet I'd really left him, cocking an eyebrow at the incredible slickness left behind, "Christ, Rox... No wonder your pillowcase is always caked in drool."

I blushed fiercly, "Are you gonna fuck me or not?!"

"As you wish," he chuckled, positioning himself between my legs. He rubbed the tip against me a few times to spread some of the saliva around, then slowly pushed foward with his hips.

"Ow.. ow!" I gasped, trying to remember the last time I'd even taken a dick.

He immediately stopped, looking down at me with wide eyes, "Are you okay? Should I stop?"

"N...no, just do it. It'll hurt for a minute and then it'll stop. It's like ripping off a bandaid," I told him, recalling that he'd never been on the bottom before and likely never been fucked in the ass.

With a little more hesitation, he slowly worked his length into me until he was a good deal of the way inside. "Is that okay...?"

"Mhmm... Just gimme a minute..." I nodded, trying not to contract my muscles too much as I got used to his size. When I finally felt like I was ready, I made eye contact with him, "Okay... but go slow at first."

As he started to move back and forth, all of these wonderful sensations started to hit me at once. I'd forgotten how good it could feel once you got past the pain. "Damn, Roxas... you're tight."

"Well you're huge," I countered, groaning softly as he started to speed up a little.

"Touche," he smiled, rocking his hips with a certain rythm that drove me a bit insane.

My own cock twitched in irritation at the fact that he hadn't yet touched it, aching to feel his hand around me. I wasn't quite as big as him... but I still wasn't below average either! "Touch me, Axel... please," I begged, though I didn't need to ask him twice.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that a single touch from Axel would make me cum immediately. I also didn't predict that said cum would shoot up with so much force that I would end up with a mouthful (and eyeful) of it.

He stopped moving his hips for a moment and tried so hard to contain his laughter as I sputtered and choked on my own cum. "I'm sorry... but that was fucking hilarious..."

I wiped the cum out of my eye and glared at him, "Like I said, it's been awhile."

"Well same here, but I practice a lot on my own," he laughed, starting to pump in and out of me again.

"Why does that not surprise me?" I rolled my eyes, smiling up at him as he started to build up his speed a little more. I could tell he was close, and I knew just what would send him over the edge. I grabbed him by the sides of his face and yanked him down into a deep kiss, one that even sent a shock through my body.

He let out a low moan and came instantly, thankfully not pulling out and adding to the mess I'd already made on myself. Of course, that'd be fun for me to clean later, but we weren't concerned with that at the moment.

"Fuck..." he groaned, pulling out of me and collapsing next to me on the bed.

"Yeah..." I agreed, trying not to move and shift any of the cum that was starting to dry on my chest.

He glanced over at me and snorted, "Oh my God, you look like you just filmed a porno."

"I think I need to take a shower..." I laughed, feeling absolutely disgusting. "Can you hand me the box of tissues over there? If I move I'm gonna ruin the sheets."

Much to my surprise, he actually took some tissues and started wiping my cum off me. In hindsight, he could probably see it a lot better than I could but for some reason I still hadn't expected him to do that.

"So was it... okay?" his eyes gazed into mine hopefully.

"Besides drooling all over you and cumming in my own eye, it was wonderful," I reassured him, kissing him softly.

He grimaced, "Ew, you taste like cum..."

"Yeah, yeah... I'll go clean up," I laughed, wishing that I could just stay in bed with him.

By the time I came back from my shower, Axel was fast asleep and snoring like a Mack truck. As much as snoring irritated me, it was absolutely adorable when he did it. I crawled into bed next to him, trying to maneuver myself under his long limbs until I found a comfortable position beside him. Not much later, I fell fast asleep myself.

...

 **A/N:** All right, guys... So that was the first lemon I've written in a long time. I hope you all liked it! I tried to keep it a little more realistic. Seriously guys, keeping it real. My fiance accidentally came in my eye once... it was nottt fun.

So let me know what you guys thought of the first AkuRoku lemon of the story! (Yes, there will be more.) Remember to leave that review down below!

Also, I want you all to know that I stayed up soooo super late writing this lemon for you guys because I thought you deserved a treat! ;P (Also, I made it super long too! You lucky duckies!)

 _Simply Rexene_


	17. Seventeen

...

 **Seventeen**

...

"How is it that you can go to bed with freshly brushed teeth and wake up smelling like you just crawled from the depths of hell?"

My eyes fluttered open in irritation and I glared at Axel, "Good morning to you too..."

"You're lucky I didn't wake you up by placing a breath mint ever so gently on your tongue," he smirked, pulling the blankets up over his nose.

"Oh sure, why not let me choke and die? Maybe then the smell would make sense..." I grumbled, dragging myself out of bed and into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

That definitely wasn't how I expected to wake up after a pretty wonderful, albeit akward, night with Axel. But I suppose I shouldn't have expected too much. Axel didn't seem to have a filter on what came out of his mouth.

I flopped back down in bed with fresh minty breath and blew air in his face, "Better?"

"Much better," he grinned, "Now I can do this!"

I squeaked as he yanked me into a deep kiss, "Axel!"

"Hush, you love it."

Suddenly I glanced over at the clock, "Axel, it's almost noon... don't you need to go take care of your farm?"

"Okay, so here's the thing... You sleep like a fucking rock. I snuck out at six to go finish my chores and then snuck back in without you ever noticing."

"But... We were cuddling earlier. I remember!" I pouted.

He glanced down at Charlie, "I think you may have been mistaken there, Rox. But that's okay. I think it's cute that you can sleep like you're dead."

"Axel, did you put pajamas on...?" I asked him, scanning his body up and down.

"Maybe," he grinned like a cat, "I figured we could just spend the day in bed together, so why not be comfortable?"

I smirked, "There are quite a few things I can think of that involve us in this bed all day, but none of them involve wearing any kind of clothing."

"No, dork... I mean, why don't we just talk for awhile? I still feel like there's so much I don't know about you."

"Okay... so we'll talk then. But breakfast first, okay? Otherwise all of our talking is going to be drowned out by my stomach."

He chuckled, "I think it's well past breakfast time, but I suppose I could make you one of my killer omelets."

"I like the sound of that," I smiled, leaning forward to give him a kiss.

...

"So... what did you want to talk about?" I asked as we settled back under the blankets in our pajamas, Charlie faithfully wedged between us.

He shrugged, "I dunno... tell me more about your life before you came here. I feel like we've never talked about it before."

"You know pretty much all there is to know, I think. I was a shitty student in high school and I dropped out of college after one semester. I was doing... nothing until I came here."

He snorted in disbelief, "C'mon, you had to have been doing _something_."

"Actually, I was..." I started, but stopped before I continued. I didn't know if I wanted to tell him about it so soon. "But that doesn't matter. Tell me about you! I know practically nothing about you."

"Oh..." he looked a bit startled by my sudden change of subject, "Well, I moved up here about ten years ago. I just... needed to get out of the city, I guess."

I cleared my throat, "Because of your brother...?"

His eyes snapped up to meet mine, "How did you...?"

"There's all kinds of rumors going around..." I admitted, "All I know for sure is that he passed away."

"He was murdered..." he whispered, his face distorting slightly, "By some drug addict moron who got high and decided he needed Reno's wallet. ...Probably to buy more drugs."

My heart nearly stopped in my chest. How could I tell Axel now...? "Addicts can do some fucked up things..."

"He stabbed him in the stomach... He bled out for hours in the alley before anybody found him. He probably suffered the entire time..."

"Axel..."

His jaw tightened, "No... I'm okay. I just wish he was still here. We were twins, you know. We had a special bond. But anyways-"

"No, Axel, I need to tell you something," I stopped him from changing the subject.

"...What?"

I paused for a moment, trying to psych myself up enough to tell him, "The reason I dropped out of college... was because I was a drug addict. Heroin. I had been all through high school, but my parents didn't know until my senior year. They sent me to a boarding school in London thinking that it would help me get clean, but I found the drugs there too. Ater the fiasco with college, they finally had an intervention and forced me into rehab. It took awhile... but I'm clean now. I have been for about four years."

He stared at me for a long time and I could tell that he was trying to process everything before he spoke. "...I'm really trying not to judge you right now, but it's very, very hard."

"I'm well aware that my addiction was a horrible and selfish thing. But I couldn't keep it from you... especially knowing about what happened to Reno. I never let myself get that low, though I did start stealing money from my mom at one point. But I've reconciled with my family, I've made my amends. I worked until I could pay back all the money I took from her, and when this opportunity came up to take over my grandfather's farm, I couldn't turn it down. It's really a new beginning for me."

"So you're really clean now?" he asked hesitantly, finally meeting my eyes again.

I nodded, "I promise. And I'm really sorry about what happened to your brother. Nothing justifies murder... But when you're high, you could care less about the consequences of your actions. I know it all too well..."

"I... really don't know what to say, Roxas... I never thought... I..." I could tell he was completely torn between whether he wanted to hate me or not.

"I understand if you can't be with me anymore, Axel... It wouldn't be the first relationship my addiction has ruined. But I really hope you can understand that it's all in my past. I'm a completely different person now. I've finally found myself."

He let out a low sigh, "I suppose it wouldn't be fair of me to hold your past against you. I do like who you are now... and it's not as if you had anything to do with Reno's death. I'm sorry for how I reacted, I'm just... kind of shocked that someone like you could have ever been an addict."

"I get that a lot..." I chuckled, "My own parents can hardly believe I'm the same person."

"I was a journalist, by the way," he switched gears on me, seeming ready to drop the subject, "I wrote for a pretty major newspaper."

I cocked my head to the side curiously, trying to picture him as a writer, "Really...? What column did you write?"

"I wrote a lot of small articles here and there, but my best work was the advice column I hosted. I wrote under the penname 'Lea'."

"So why haven't you started a newspaper out here yet? I bet everybody would love one."

He smirked, "I haven't exactly made friends out here... I was so depressed when I first moved that I shut everyone out of my life. I fear that I've burned all my bridges... I don't think I'll ever win them back."

"But you have me now, and everyone loves me!" I chirped happily, "We can work together and pitch it to the mayor. I'll even help you write! I'm not too shabby myself."

"Right, Mr. Drop Out."

I scoffed, "English was my best subject!"

He poked me in the side, grinning, "That could actually be pretty fun... You really think people would go for it?"

"Why not give it a try? Maybe we've found your place in town, where you fit in," I smiled warmly, leaning across Charlie to give him a kiss.

"It would be nice not to be hated by everyone... I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but I don't always mean it. Maybe I can get through to everyone with my writing, let them know that I'm ready to make my own amends with the town."

"I'm really glad to hear that, Axel."

...

 **A/N:** First of all, sorry it took me so long to update! Life got in the way, sadly... I always hate when that happens.

So this chapter was mainly filler and background... I know it wasn't the best, but I promise more drama to come soon! Also, sorry if it doesn't flow well. I wrote half of it like a month ago and half of it just now. XD

Love you!

 _Simply Rexene_


	18. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello one and all! If you've been following this story, I'm sure you've wondered what's happened to it. Well... I hate to admit, but I had let the plot get away from me and I seriously had no idea how to continue! Which is why...

 **This story is being re-written!**

Yayyyy! It's going to be ten times better, and that's a promise! So if you're up for it, please go check out The (Other) End of the Road. Chapter One went up just a few minutes ago.

 _I seriously loved this story, but I moved too quickly through the plot and backed myself into a corner._

But not this time! Please remember to review, favorite and follow the new story if you like it. I can promise you... if you liked this one, you'll adore the new one.

Thank you so much for your continued support! Sorry for the small hiatus I took from writing recently!

 _Simply Rexene_


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